The Space Between
by UglyGreenJacket
Summary: A series of 40 Mamoru centric drabbles, set between the R and S seasons, that delve into the development of his relationship with Usagi and some other Sailor Moon favorites. Written for the Mamoru Chiba Week Premiere Drabble Challenge.
1. Odango

_AN: hey there, lovelies! Welcome to my newest drabble series! The next 40 chapters should be fun as we delve into the development of Mamoru's relationships with Usagi and some of our other Sailor Moon characters!_

 _A huge thank you to FloraOne for not only coming up with these themes to celebrate Mamoru's birthday, but for being the sweetest friend an beta a girl could ever hope for._

 _Enjoy, and let me know what you think!_

oOo

Chiba Mamoru was the picture of relaxation as he sat on his usual bench in Amishiro Park, reading a distinguished looking novel. But looks could often be deceiving.

Mamoru had become a master of hiding what he was feeling. Years living in an orphanage could do that to a person. And if one looked closely at him, sitting on that park bench, looking as if he owned the world, they might just notice how his eyes weren't really focused on the page or how his eyes would nervously glance up every few seconds to scan the area, as if he were waiting for someone.

In fact, he was waiting for someone. The most important someone in his world. The one who had changed everything for him, had brought happiness, and light and joy back into his life. Usagi. His Usako. The one for whom his heart beat. The one he lived to protect. The one whose heart he had recently shattered into pieces when he had broken up with her. The one who loved him anyway.

Checking his watch, he smiled to himself. She was late, as usual. And while this would have bothered the 'old' Mamoru, the new Mamoru couldn't care less. He knew that she would come without fail. She always did, always would. Even after all the pain he had caused them both, she would never let him down.

They had rid the universe of the Black Moon Clan just days before, had said goodbye to their future daughter early that morning, and Mamoru knew this had all taken a toll on Usagi. As extraordinary as she was, at the end of the day, she was still only fourteen. And she, unfairly, was forced to carry the burden of the world on her shoulders. As much as he wished he could take it all from her, to bear the weight on his own back, he knew he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough on his own. All he could do was be there to whisk her away if she needed it, to lend her his strength whenever necessary.

But the time for battles seemed to be done, at least for now. And they were free to be in love. No enemies, no fighting, no pink-haired girls falling from the sky, no prophetic dreams sent from future kings. Just Usagi and Mamoru.

Mamoru could feel her presence, even before she came into sight. The bond that tied their souls together, though not as strong as it once was a millennia ago, still drew them to each other like a moth to a flame.

He looked up from his book just as she came to a stop in front of him. Dressed in a white lace summer dress, her hair in their usual buns, and her cheeks rosy from skipping all the way to the park, she was the personification of innocence, and his heart swelled with love.

A wide grin made its way onto his lips. "Odango," he spoke, deep and low, as he inclined his head in acknowledgement of her.

Usagi's nose wrinkled adorably in mock annoyance, the look of pure joy on her face giving her away. Sticking her tongue out at him, playfully, she responded, "Mamoru-baka."

They stared at each other, smiling, for what seemed like minutes, neither speaking, simply content to soak in the other's presence.

Mamoru was the first to speak, as he closed his book with a snap, and stood to move towards her, the need to be closer finally too much to bear. Slinging his arm around her shoulders, he asked her the one question he knew would always bring that glorious light to her eyes. "How do you feel about sharing some ice cream with me?"

A sweet giggle escaped her. "Well, I don't know about the sharing part, but I would love some ice cream," she answered, her eyes alight just as he knew they would be, as she snuggled deeper into his side.

He smiled down at her, unnamed emotions swimming in his eyes. But she knew what they were. She knew his soul. And as they walked together towards The Crown, he couldn't help but feel that everything was finally as it should be.


	2. Crown

_AN: Thank you so much for the reviews on the first installment! I'm glad it seems like most of you will enjoy this little series 3_

 _A huge thank you to my wonderful friend and tireless beta, FloraOne, who always manages to find the time to edit for me, even when she's got much more important things going on in her life. She's a blessing._

 _Hope you enjoy this second chapter, and let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

They walked through the doors of the Crown, Mamoru's arm still placed firmly around Usagi's shoulders, and Usagi still snuggled, just as firmly, into his side. That was, until Motoki called out to them in greeting.

"Motoki!" Usagi called back, excitedly, removing herself from Mamoru's embrace and rushing over to the blonde behind the counter.

This was a familiar sight to Mamoru, Usagi rushing over to Motoki with all the excitement she greeted everyone else with. A familiar sight that used to fill him with jealousy, and a longing he refused to examine, because of all it might mean. But now, he simply smiled, and marveled at the amazing capacity his girlfriend held in her tiny form to love.

"What can I get for you two?" Motoki asked with a knowing smirk on his face, as Mamoru reached the pair.

"Mamo-chan, can I get a sundae, please?" Usagi asked, turning towards him, excitement and pleading in her voice, eyes bright with wonder.

He was rendered useless when she looked at him like that, and it amazed him, that after more than a year of knowing her, she could still cause all speech and rational thought to fly from his mind. So, instead, he smiled back at her, and managed to breathe out, "Of course, Usako, anything you want." Mamoru was rewarded with a smile he hoped Usagi only ever sent his way, the idea of having to fend off numerous suitors suddenly becoming more and more likely in his future.

After placing their order with Motoki, Usagi grabbed his hand, dragging his more than willing form towards a booth in the corner. She slid into the bench on the right side of the table, and in a moment of inspiration, born mostly from the need to be as close to her as he could, he slid in right beside her.

Mamoru heard Usagi's small intake of breath in surprise when she realized what he was doing, but when he turned to face her, she simply beamed up at him, and reclaimed her rightful spot, snuggled into his side.

"Mamo-chan," she sighed, dreamily, "I'm so happy."

Her simple statement brought forth a flood of emotions that he could have sworn were going to make his heart burst. He echoed her sentiment a hundred fold. Usagi was, without any question, his reason for being. She filled his life with color, and light and _feeling._ He needed her as surely as he needed oxygen. Of course, she made him _happy._ But Mamoru was always worried the intensity of his need for Usagi would frighten her, so he simply leaned down, and whispered softly into her ear, "Me, too."

With one last loving look up at him, she delved into the many stories of all the things that had happened to her since they last met twelve hours before. She was in the midst of telling him all about Minako's latest failed attempt at securing idol status, when Motoki appeared, sundae and coffee in hand. Mamoru had never been quite so grateful for the sandy blonde's appearance, making a mental note to thank him later for interrupting the tale of Minako's escapade.

"Here you go, Usagi-chan!" Motoki said, he placed her ice cream down in front of her, before turning to Mamoru. "And a coffee for you, _Mamo-chan_ ," he drawled out, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Mamoru, and eliciting a happy giggle from Usagi.

Mamoru narrowed his eyes at his, now former, best friend. "Need I remind you of the things I've heard Reika call you, _sugar bear?_ " he asked, low and menacing, before glancing down at Usagi, who was coughing after nearly choking on an enormous bite of ice cream, while trying to stifle a laugh at his comment.

Once he was certain he wasn't going to need to administer any sort of aid to his girlfriend, Mamoru turned back to a brightly blushing Motoki.

Scratching his head nervously, Motoki laughed, and not so lightly punched Mamoru in the shoulder. "Heh, well, you know what they say, Mamoru. Love makes people do, er- uh, crazy things." In what Mamoru figured was a desperate attempt to change the subject, Motoki added, "Hey Usagi-chan, have you played the new Sailor V game we got in a few days ago? I hear it's a tough one."

Usagi grabbed onto Mamoru's arm, shaking him slightly. "Oh, Mamo-chan, will you play it with me after we're done?!"

Mamoru found himself drowning in her eyes, until his silence lasted a little too long, and she questioned, again, "Mamo-chan?"

"Uh...I don't think so, Usa. But I'd be happy to watch you play."

"But I want you to play _with_ me!" she responded, the pitch of her voice rising gradually into the whine he was so used to hearing.

"Usako, I'm rubbish at those things. Really, you're better off with me just watching," Mamoru said, smiling softly down at her.

"Yeah, he really does suck at games, Usagi-chan," Motoki supplied, earning himself another glare from Mamoru.

"Don't you have work you should be doing?" Mamoru asked, annoyance lacing his voice.

Motoki shrugged and sauntered off, mumbling what Mamoru could have sworn was something along the lines of, "You try to be a nice guy…"

Rolling his eyes, Mamoru turned his attention back to Usagi, who was still looking at him with hopeful eyes and an adorable pout on her lips. "Please, Mamo-chan? I really want you to play with me."

He sighed in defeat, knowing that no matter how hard he fought her, he would happily lose. "Sure, Usako."

"Really?! Thank you, Mamo-chan! I promise it'll be fun," Usagi said, jabbering away as she devoured what was left of her ice cream.

Ten minutes later, Mamoru found himself seated in front of a large screen, Minako's face staring back at him. "You know," he began, "this is really unnerving, having her looking at you like that."

Usagi snorted, unladylike, in response. "Well, it won't matter in a few minutes, Mamo-chan."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're about to be moon dusted," she said, determinedly, as the game began.

For the next half hour, Mamoru found himself losing to his girlfriend time after time. And while some men would have been threatened by losing to a girl at some silly game, Mamoru couldn't keep the goofy, elated grin off of his face. He would happily surrender his 'man card' to Usagi for the rest of his days without a second thought. So what if she was better than him? She was _everything_ to him.

All too soon, nine o'clock rolled around, and Usagi looked at him sadly, while saying it was time for them to walk home.

As the couple was leaving, Usagi stopped abruptly right in front of the claw machine. She squealed in delight, pressing her nose against the glass of the game's windows. "Look, Mamo-chan! There's a Tuxedo Kamen doll in there!"

The goofy, elated grin on his face grew even larger. "Here. Let me win it for you, Usako."

She looked at him with confusion. "But you suck at games, Mamo-chan."

Mamoru laughed, while he placed the required coins into the machine. "Au contraire, little rabbit. _This_ isn't just any game, you see. This game requires a different set of skills. One must have excellent hand-eye coordination. And I have managed to perfect this art with my masterful rose throwing."

The confusion on Usagi face was replaced with one of humor, as she giggled at him. "You're silly, Mamo-chan."

"Shhhh," he whispered at her, dramatically. "I must have complete silence to do this." This, of course, caused her to giggle even louder.

Mamoru took great care in placing the machine's claw directly over the small Tuxedo Mask doll. When he was convinced he was in proper striking position, he painstakingly lowered the arm, and was relieved when it lifted back up with a miniature version of himself clasped between the fingers.

Usagi clapped with glee, as he leaned down to get the doll out of the slot it had been dropped into. Once he had it within his grasp, he bowed to her, presenting his prize to Usagi with an outstretched hand. "For you, princess."

"Ooo, Mamo-chan, you're the best!" she cried, taking the doll from him, and launching herself into his arms, as soon as he'd straightened.

Mamoru hugged her back without hesitation, wishing silently to himself, that he could, instead, kiss her breathless. He had longed desperately to hold her like this while they were separated from each other, dreams of her death and the destruction of the world filling him with a terror that forced him away. Had it really been such a short time ago that his arms had practically ached for want of holding her? But now that she was in his arms, Mamoru found himself unable to keep from wanting more.

He was in the middle of chastising himself, when Usagi pulled back slightly so she could stand on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Mamo-chan," she said, quietly, gazing up at him with a wonder he didn't understand, but knew he didn't deserve. He was worried, however, when her face quickly fell, and her eyes darted downwards away from him. "I'm sorry. I know you don't like PDA," she apologized, barely audible.

And in that moment, he threw caution to the wind, leaning down to cover her lips fully with his own, praying he could convey just how wrong she was through the kiss.

After a few, long and blissful, moments, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, allowing himself to be swept up in her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "For you, I'll make an exception," he told her with a wink.

She blushed beautifully and leaned up, once more, to peck him lightly on the lips. "Walk me home?"

"Always," he replied, running a hand through her endless golden strands, as she extracted herself from his embrace.

Across the parlor, Mamoru heard Motoki sigh in a girlish manner, before calling out, "Ahh, young love!"

Little did he know, their love had spanned ages, and would last for thousands more.

"Goodbye, Motoki," he called back, grabbing Usagi's hand, eyes never leaving hers. And together, they walked out into the summer night.


	3. Daughter

_AN: Welcome to the third installment of this fluffy series of mine! These have ended up being much longer than I had intended, but it is what it is, and I don't know of too many readers, myself included, who complain about a story being long xD_

 _Huge thanks to my darling friend, FloraOne for her friendship, encouragement and beta skills! None of my stories would be what they are without her 3_

 _Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru looked towards the large building with anticipation when a bell rang, shrilly, signaling the end of another school day at Juuban Middle School. As a flood of students began to make their way through the main doors, he leaned against the gate just outside the school, dark sunglasses hiding his discomfort at the large crowd making its way towards his location.

He breathed a sigh of relief when a familiar pair of golden buns came into sight. Usagi was surrounded by her usual, and rather large, group of friends chattering amongst themselves about things he was sure he'd rather not know about. She seemed happy as ever, but Mamoru could tell the smile she wore wasn't quite reaching her eyes like it should.

When she finally spotted him, her entire being lit up. "Mamo-chan!" she called out to him with a giant wave. Saying a hurried goodbye to her friends, Usagi started for him in an impressive sprint.

Bracing himself for impact, Mamoru smiled brightly back at her, barely even flinching as she launched herself into him, his arms instinctively encircling her. "Hi, Usako," he said, once his breath recovered, a deep laugh rumbling in his chest.

Usagi peered up at him from her spot against his chest. "What are you doing here?" she asked bluntly, a blush bright on her cheeks, as soon as she realized how the question had come across. "I mean, not that I'm not always happy to see you. It's just a surprise that's all," she finished, shyly.

Chuckling again, Mamoru squeezed her tightly one last time, before releasing her to sling his arm around her shoulders as they began to walk away from the school. "Well, then I accomplished my mission," he told her with a devilish wink.

Usagi giggled, but fell silent, the smile falling from her face, causing Mamoru to gaze at her out of the corner of his eye with concern. He tried to convince himself she'd simply had a rough day at school, and he hoped he was just the person to cheer her.

"So, now that I've graced you with the pleasure of my company, what would you like to do, Usa?" he asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.

She looked up at him, the smile that didn't reach her eyes had made its way back to her lips. "Oh, it doesn't matter, Mamo-chan,' she answered, quietly. "Whatever you'd like to do is fine."

How odd, he thought to himself. Usagi usually had a laundry list of activities to do with him. Mamoru couldn't recall a time that she'd deferred how their time was spent to him. Unless he made a suggestion, she almost always would take the lead and drag him off to whatever whimsical plans her mind managed to come up with.

"Ok…" he began, mind racing for some activity they could do that didn't include him taking them back to his apartment for a very long and very private makeout session. The park and its sprawling lake came into view. "How about we go sit by the lake? You can tell me about your day."

Mamoru found himself holding his breath, while waiting for her response, letting out a puff of air in relief when she finally responded with, "Sure."

They sat on the grass, together. Mamoru's legs extended in front of him, Usagi cuddled under his right arm, leaning her weight against him. Her face was still serious with no hint of the joy he was so accustomed to seeing there.

"Usa," he breathed near her ear, placing a kiss to her temple. "Are you alright?"

She sighed heavily. "Yes, Mamo-chan, I'm ok. Just…" she paused, as if searching for the right thing to say, "... kinda tired, that's all."

"Have you not been sleeping well?" Mamoru asked, concern edging his deep baritone voice.

"No, it's not that," she responded, not expanding any further.

Mamoru pondered her for a moment, wondering if he should let whatever it was go. But they had hid themselves from each other for so long, and he couldn't let her shut herself off from him. Not now, when they could finally be together as they should have been all along.

Gently extracting her from his side, he moved to sit directly in front of her, taking her hands into his own and rubbing soothing circles on her palms. "Hey," he whispered to her, a shy smile on his face when she looked up to meet his eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She looked down at their joined hands, lacing her fingers through his. "I...I know."

He was silent for a moment, hoping she would continue without prodding, but she continued to stare blankly at their hands. Removing his hand from the warmth of hers, Mamoru brought it to her chin, lifting it gently so her eyes met his, once again.

Unable to stop himself, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, he could see the pools of tears that were gathered in her eyes. "Please don't shut me out, Usako," he pleaded, softly.

The irony of the situation was not lost on him. The fact that he, Chiba Mamoru, the great enigma, was asking her, Tsukino Usagi, the very definition of openness, to let him in. She was usually the one to wrestle his feelings and thoughts out of him. And even when he had broken her heart, she had refused to give up, continually opening herself up for more hurt in numerous attempts to understand what drove him to do, well, anything, really.

A deep sadness filled him, when he saw her lower lip begin to tremble and tears starting to stream down her face, splashing onto her skirt below. "Oh, Usa," he said, reaching for her, and gathered her up into his lap in a crushing embrace, as her tears began to fall harder.

And she wept in his arms. But these weren't the whiny tears of a teenager who hadn't gotten her way that he had seen so often before. There was an anguish in them that caused his heart to clench painfully. Mamoru could sense that she simply _needed_ him in that moment. And though he was still in the dark as to what was causing her distress, he held her to him, rocking her gently, trying to bring her comfort as best he could.

Gradually, her sobs began to lessen, and only an occasional hiccup could be heard from the slight girl in his arms. Usagi looked up at him, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "Sorry, Mamo-chan. I didn't mean to lose it like that."

Mamoru pulled her close, resting his head on the space between her odango. "You don't ever have to apologize, Usa. I'm here for you, always."

A brief silence fell over them, and Mamoru desperately wanted to fill it, but he could feel she was on the verge of telling him what was causing her pain, so he held back, giving her the space she needed to find the words. And he wasn't disappointed.

"Mamo-chan?"

"Yes, Usako?"

"I miss her," she finally conceded.

He knew instantly which 'her' she was talking about. "So, this is about Chibi-Usa?"

Usagi nodded her head, and he felt the motion against his chest, another hiccup escaping her.

Mamoru wasn't able to keep a smile from curling up the corners of his mouth. "What do you miss about her?"

"I...it's just so lonely at home without her there," she whispered.

"You do know you used to complain about the fact that she _was_ always there, right?"

A horrified groan escaped her mouth, and he knew he'd touched a sore spot. "Yes, I know I did. But at the time she really did annoy me. And I was so awful to her, Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

He sighed, countless images of the two girls bickering, name calling and fighting over him flashing across his mind. And while it was certainly true that Usagi could have handled many of the situations in a more tactful manner, he could easily see how antagonizing his future daughter could be. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Usa. It was a stressful time, especially for you."

"But I'm her _mother_ , Mamo-chan!" she wailed into his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt in her fists.

A laugh ripped out of him before he could even think of stopping it. Usagi pulled back, looking at him with annoyance evident on her face. "What's so funny?"

Mamoru quickly removed the smile from his face. "Sorry, Usa. I'm not laughing at how you feel. I just…" he paused in order to choose his words carefully, "...you know you're not her mother, right?"

Usagi's face switched from a look of annoyance to one of pure confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He ran his hands through his hair, trying to think of how to explain himself. "I mean, you _are_ her mother, technically, but you've got to cut yourself some slack, Usako."

"Why?" she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Because, while you are, without a doubt, the strongest person I know, you're still _fourteen,_ Usako. No one expects you to be someone's mother," he said, hoping it would bring some consolation.

"But-" she started to protest, but he silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"No, Usako. You had a responsibility thrust upon you that you didn't ask for. And yes, it was...rough, sometimes, but at the end of the day, you loved our daughter. Protected her. Were willing to give your life for her. And I refuse to let you beat yourself up over how you, a teenager, acted when you were faced with caring for an antagonizing eight year old."

When he was finished, Usagi gently laid her head back on his chest, staring out at the lake in front of them, appearing to be deep in thought, as silence settling between them.

It was awhile before she spoke, again. "I know you're right, Mamo-chan," she said, eyes still staring straight ahead, "but I'm still so...so sad."

This he could completely understand. "I miss her, too, you know," he said, allowing a hint of sadness to color his voice. "But you know we'll see her, again, someday."

And he did miss her, truthfully. It was nearly impossible to feel alone when the pink-haired, little girl was constantly clinging to him. There was always a strange peace that settled into his chest whenever Chibi-Usa was near him. He hadn't known she was their daughter at the time, but looking back, he knew that peace he felt was because Chibi-Usa was a part of Usagi, allowing him to hold onto a small part of her during their separation.

There was a large part of him that longed for the future they had glimpsed to hurry up and arrive. Never had he allowed himself to imagine having such a beautiful family, a daughter, with Usagi, no less! But they had had so little time together without interruptions, the part of him who wanted to keep Usagi to himself won out over his readiness for the future.

Mamoru had hoped that the knowledge they would one day see her again would placate Usagi, at least for the moment, but this fact did little to brighten her mood. "I know. The future just seems so far away sometimes," she said, snuggling into his chest, again.

"I understand, Usako, but you can't let that get in the way of what's happening, here and now."

"Oh, Mamo-chan," she sighed. "Why do you have to be right all the time? Doesn't it get old?"

Another laugh escaped him, before he could catch himself. "It's my cross to bear."

Usagi swatted his chest, playfully. "You don't have to be so smug about it, you know."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, winking at her, and his heart lifted when she rewarded him with a genuine smile.

"I'm sure you don't," she giggled out.

"Promise me something, Usa?"

"Anything, Mamo-chan," she said, looking into his eyes with an intensity that caused him to have to look away and out towards the lake.

"Promise me you'll do your best to just enjoy this time we have together?"

A brilliant smile greeted him when he looked back down at her. "Of course."

He smiled back. "This time is for us, Usa. No enemies, no daughters, no battles. Nothing. Just us."

"I do like the sound of that," she replied, brushing a stray strand of hair from his eyes. "What should we do first to enjoy this time we have?"

"Well," a mischievous smile played on his lips, "I was thinking maybe a little of this." He bent to place a kiss on her nose. "And a little of this," he kissed the corner of her mouth. "And possibly this," the other corner of her mouth met his lips. "And finally-,"

But he was cut off when Usagi took a hold of his collar, pulling him down to kiss him firmly. Mamoru smiled against her mouth, before giving into the sensations she was so willingly giving.

When he felt himself starting to drown, Mamoru summoned every ounce of willpower that existed within him, and pulled back from her, chuckling at the adorable pout she donned as a result of the loss of contact with his lips. As much as he wanted her, they certainly didn't need Chibi-Usa popping up, again, anytime soon.

Placing on arm under her legs, and the other on her back to steady himself, Mamoru stood up with Usagi in his arms, delighting in her shriek of surprise at her sudden ascent from the ground.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and laughed as he spun them around in circles. "How about we head to the Crown and you can destroy me at that Sailor V game a few more times?" he suggested once they had come to a stop, gingerly placing her feet on the ground.

"Oh, I think that can be arranged."

Mamoru almost missed the evil gleam in her eye. "Last one there has to pay for my dinner!" And she was off, sprinting towards the arcade.

He shook his head, and began sauntering after her, knowing there was no chance he'd beat her there, and simply enjoying the view of her backside as she raced away.


	4. Dream

_AN: Woohoo, day 4 of Mamoru Chiba Week is already upon us, so, here's another drabble to quench your thirst for our illustrious leading man._

 _My usual thanks to my darling FloraOne, who indulges my crazy ideas and even likes them sometimes ;) she's the best, ya'll and you should go check out her drabble series for this week, if you haven't already. It's AMAZING and so unique and beautiful and all the things!_

 _This drabble is a little different in that it starts off in Usagi's POV, BUT I think you'll see why fairly quickly. This chapter is still Mamoru centered, but I needed to have Usagi do a couple of things before we get there._

 _Thank you for all the reviews and love, and let me know what you think of this one!_

 _oOo_

Usagi could barely keep the amused look from her face, as she watched Mamoru fidget across from her. He'd been quiet most of the evening, and she could tell he was trying incredibly hard to focus all his attention on her, but as naive as she could often be, Usagi knew exactly what else was on his mind.

"Go home, Mamo-chan," she said softly, placing a comforting hand over his.

"Wh-? Why would you say that, Usako? You want me to leave?" Mamoru responded, the spark of panic in his eyes not escaping his blonde companion.

"No, of course I don't," she cajoled, giving him her most reassuring smile. "But I can tell you're worried about your test, tomorrow, so you should go home and study."

Mamoru shook his head vigorously. "No, Usa. I promised we'd spend time together, and I'm not going to back out on that."

 _So, he's not going down easily,_ she thought to herself. Changing her face to mimic the stern looks her mother so often gave her, Usagi spoke an almost commanding, "Mamo-chan, go home."

He sighed deeply, raking a nervous hand through perfectly messy hair. "I could really use the extra time," he finally conceded, "You're _sure_ you'll be ok if I head home?"

Usagi allowed a smile to return to her face. "Yes, Mamo-chan. I'll be fine! I'll probably just play a few games, and then head home, too. Go and study. I can tell you're worried about your test."

Mamoru smiled back at her gratefully, grabbing his bag from under the table, and sliding out of the booth. He came around to the other side of the table, where she was sitting, and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek, nuzzling the soft skin with his nose for a moment, before pulling away.

"Thanks, Usa. I owe you one," he told her, running a hand through his hair. "Call me when you get home, so I know you made it okay?"

"Of course," she replied softly, as he leaned down to give her another kiss.

"Bye," Mamoru breathed, a hair's breadth away from her lips.

"Bye," she whispered back, the smile never fading from her face, even when Mamoru was out of sight.

Glancing over towards the lights and sounds of the numerous games the arcade had to offer, Usagi briefly considered indulging in a few of them, but soon decided against the idea, when she noticed how ridiculously crowded the area was with prepubescent boys. Suddenly, the idea of heading home, snuggling into her pajamas, and hearing Mamoru's gorgeous voice in her ear before she fell asleep, became much more enticing.

Reaching under the table, her hand came into contact, not with her satchel, as she'd figured it would, but with a small, leather bound notebook. Picking it up with curiosity, Usagi noticed the front of the book was embossed with a familiar name, 'Chiba Mamoru.'

 _This must have fallen out of his bag,_ she thought to herself.

The idea that entered her mind was to drop it by Mamoru's apartment on her way home. She could hug him, see his handsome face, and maybe, just maybe, he'd kiss her, once again. But something stopped her from running after him.

He had a huge genetics test the next day. Had asked to leave their date early so he could go home and try to prepare for it. And as much as she wanted to see him, she knew disturbing his studying was perhaps the last thing he needed.

 _But what if he needs this to study?_

Usagi had no idea what all genetics entailed, but she was fairly certain she could manage to figure out if Mamoru would need the little black book for his studies. So, she opened it, and was surprised to find what appeared to be a letter on the first page. And it was addressed to her.

She snapped the book shut, before she had the chance to read any more. A brief thought entering her mind about somehow invading her boyfriend's privacy. Surely, if he wanted her to see what he'd written, he would have given it to her…

But as Mamoru had reminded her just the other day, she _was_ , still, only fourteen after all, and fourteen year olds weren't exactly known for their self-control.

Before she could manage to convince herself otherwise, Usagi opened the cover, eyes falling, once again, on his familiar handwriting.

 _Usako,_

 _A counselor at the orphanage once told me that writing a letter to someone who had wronged you was a good way to heal, even if they never see it. Since I am the one who_ _has wronged you, I am not certain this will do any good, but on the off chance that I do_ _have the courage to send this to you, someday, I hope you can come to forgive me._

 _It's been a month since I had the first dream. A month since I looked you in the eyes and_ _told you it was over, that I didn't love you. A month since I shattered your heart, and in_ _the process, mine as well._

 _I'm a coward of the worst kind. I thought it would be easier for both of us if you hated me, and so, I told you the worst lie of all. That I was only with you because of some long dead obligation spoken between forbidden lovers in another life. I couldn't look you in the eye, because I was too afraid you'd see the truth._

 _You see, Usako, I had to do it. You would die if I didn't. At least that's what the voice_ _in my dreams tells me. And I can't bear that. I can't stand the thought of you suffering, dying because of me. I can't. You mean too much You're the light in this world, Usa, not just in mine, either, and I can't be responsible for extinguishing that light._

 _But as the days go on, though, I'm finding I can't bear to be separated from you, either. Every time I see you, I long to hold you so badly, I physically ache from it. And the most ironic thing is, even though I have stayed away from you, the dreams haven't stopped._

 _I'm so lost, Usako. I'm trying to do the right thing, but I'm not sure how much longer I can stand it. You're the only thing in my life I've ever been sure of. First, as the princess in my dreams, then as the girl who threw insults at me, then as Sailor Moon, and finally, you were mine to love and cherish._

 _God, how happy I was in the short time we had together before everything fell apart. You'll never know the joy you brought to me. How deeply in love I had fallen, and how much deeper I fell every time you smiled at me. But I should have known it wouldn't last. Nothing ever does for me._

 _Now, the only thing in my life I'm sure of, is that I will always love you. It will always be_ _you, Tsukino Usagi. Always. There will never be another, because I'm certain no other soul could ever match the beauty of yours. No one could ever touch me, change me, as you have. But if my loneliness and misery is the cost for your life, I will pay it._

 _I'm so sorry, Usako. I know the inadequacy of those words, but it's all I have. The only thing that brings me any semblance of solace, is that you are alive and well. I pray that someday, you may come to forgive me, as I don't believe I will ever be able to forgive myself for the pain I have caused you._

 _I love you, always._

 _Mamoru_

 _oOo_

Mamoru leaned his head tiredly against the wall of his apartment building elevator, closing his eyes as he felt the small box begin to ascend to higher floors. After staying up until the wee hours of the morning, trying to cram every last bit of information into his head that he possibly could, he was exhausted.

He smiled to himself, eyes still closed, as his mind wandered back to Usagi and the brief phone conversation they had shared after she'd made it home from the arcade. Her voice had been so calm, so soothing and encouraging.

An all too familiar pang of guilt struck him, as Mamoru realized just how little he'd done to deserve her love. She gave him so much, so freely. And all he had ever done was hurt her in return. He was trying to be better, to be the person she deserved to call hers. But getting past his shortcomings was proving to be a difficult task.

There wasn't a day that went by, where he wasn't reminded of the horrible time they had spent apart. It seemed as if the world didn't want him to forget what he had done to its brightest star.

 _You crushed her. You defeated her. You are unworthy of her._

He shook his head, trying to clear the darkening thoughts from his mind, as the elevator chimed its arrival on his floor. Looking down the hall towards his apartment, Mamoru's eyes fell upon what looked like a notebook lying right outside his door.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Mamoru elongated his strides. As he grew closer, he recognized it as _his_ black notebook. But there was an envelope attached to the outside of it, with "Mamo-chan" scrawled across its white surface.

Ripping open the envelope, he was surprised to find a letter.

 _My dearest, Mamo-chan,_

 _I know you wrote the letter inside this notebook when we were broken up, but knowing_ _you like I do, I have a feeling that there's still some things you need to hear._

 _You asked for my forgiveness, but I'm afraid I can't give you that. Because there is nothing to forgive._

 _You see, I love you, Mamo-chan. And my love comes with forgiveness for anything you_ _can, have, and will ever do to hurt me._

 _I know what you did was out of love. From a need to protect me. I understand the_ _decision you made, and my heart breaks for all the pain you felt. And I also know this_ _won't be the last time you hurt me, too. Because no one's perfect._

 _But I also have total faith that if anything like that ever happens again, that we're strong_ _enough to face it, together. We'll get through it, together._

 _You're not alone, Chiba Mamoru. You never have to be alone, again. I will never give up on you. You're stuck with me. And don't you forget it, mister!_

 _I hope your test went well, get some sleep, and forgive yourself, ok?_

 _Yours,_

 _Usa_


	5. Time

_AN: Happy Mamo-chan's birthday, everyone! This sweet, and borderline sexy little drabble is my gift to you all, so I hope you enjoy it 3_

 _My usual thanks to the ever lovely, and ridiculously talented, FloraOne. She keeps me writing, and helps me in SO many ways!_

 _Let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru had meant to keep the kiss simple. Really, he had. But Usagi had a way of melting against him that caused those pesky, teenage boy hormones to take on a life of their own.

It was a beautiful Saturday evening, the sun long set, and the moon had risen in its most glorious fullness. They were walking home from a movie, a formulaic romantic comedy Usagi had begged to see, so of course, he'd indulged her, and spent the majority of the time with his eyes not on the screen, but focused on her, taking in every reaction and emotion she experienced. And as they walked through the park in comfortable silence, Mamoru made the rookie mistake of glancing down at his petite girlfriend.

She was _breathtaking_ bathed in moonlight. Not that she wasn't all the time, but the moon seemed to shine down on its princess in a way that made her look almost ethereal, and when he looked at her in that moment, perfect, ivory skin, endless, gold hair, the longest eyelashes he'd ever seen, and the sweetest pair of lips with a light layer of pink gloss, he couldn't help himself.

Which was how they couple found themselves in their current position, seated on their usual park bench, Usagi planted firmly in Mamoru's lap, lips moving hungrily over each other.

He had done such a good job, at least up to this point, in keeping their kisses chaste, not wanting to push her into anything she wasn't one hundred percent ready for, but he hadn't prepared himself for when she actually _was_ ready, and when she'd run her tongue against his bottom lip, he couldn't help the audible groan that left him as his mouth opened up to her.

It was the most seductive feeling he'd ever experienced. He knew she hadn't meant it to be, but it was just too damn much. He was only an 18 year old, for god's sake, and Mamoru was fairly certain the feelings coursing through him would have been enough to bring the most composed man to his knees.

And so they sat, limbs tangled, lips locked, tongues slaking their fill.

But suddenly, it wasn't enough to just taste her lips anymore. Mamoru wanted to know what the rest of her felt like under his mouth, too, and so his lips left hers, traveling down, planting themselves firmly in the hollow of her neck.

He was perfectly content to keep making his way across the planes of her skin, until he heard, "Mamo-chan…" whispered almost lustily, Usagi's hand threading their fingers through his hair.

Reality came crashing down on him, then, and he realized he needed to pull them up from drowning, quickly, the point of no return very close on the horizon. Sure, he had died countless times, and endured more than ten lifetimes could fill, but ending this contact with her was, quite possibly, the most painful experience of all. But even so, he gradually began to soften his kisses, lessening the almost bruising pressure into soft, sensual brushes of his lips against her skin.

When he reached her mouth, again, he kissed her lightly, resting his forehead against hers, willing the blood in his body to return to its normal flow.

He grinned at her, speaking a soft, "You're beautiful," his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

Usagi closed her eyes, as if she were trying to soak up the compliment, and he heard a breathy, "So are you," escape her. Her eyes flew open when she realized what she'd said, a bright blush painting her cheeks.

Mamoru chuckled at her. "Let's get you home, Usa. I'd like to live to see our next date, and I don't think that will happen if I don't get you back soon," he told her, only half joking, and knowing full well, Kenji would be waiting at the door for his precious daughter to arrive back home safe and sound.

It was her turn to laugh, a beautiful giggle leaving her. She stood from his lap, offering her hand to him, and he took advantage of the situation, taking her hand, and pulling her against him as he stood up, unable to resist one last embrace.

The comfortable silence returned, as they continued towards the Tsukino's house, but Mamoru could feel through the bond he shared with her, that there was something on her mind, as feelings of curiosity flooded into him.

"What is it, Usa?"

She looked up at him, a sheepish smile on her face. "Am I that easy to read?"

Mamoru contemplated her question for a brief moment, before answering genuinely, "Not easy, necessarily. Unguarded, yes, but not easy."

When she simply nodded her head and didn't respond, he prodded her further. "Out with it, Odango," he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him for his use of her old nickname. "Well, Mamoru- _baka_ ," Usagi began, and he laughed outright at her emphasis on the latter part of his 'name', "I was just thinking about our past lives, and how little I remember of it. I try to grab hold of the memories sometimes, but it's like they're always just out of reach, you know?"

A sardonic smile graced his lips. Of all the people in the world, he certainly understood what it was to have a lifetime's worth of memories dance in your mind without being able to firmly grasp hold of any one of them. "Yes, I understand, Usa."

Usagi blushed, again, "Of course," she said, almost to herself, before going on, "but do you remember much about us, Mamo-chan? From before?"

Mamoru swallowed nervously, and he hoped it would go unnoticed by his girlfriend. Because unlike Usagi, Mamoru had many, incredibly vivid memories of their time together when their names had been Endymion and Serenity.

He had dreamed of one instance just the night before, as he so often did these days. Serenity had surprised Endymion in his chambers inside the Earth palace, and Mamoru had come to the conclusion that the pair must not have been together for quite some time, because within minutes, she was sprawled against the black silk of the bed sheets, and he could _feel_ himself moving inside her.

When he awoke, Mamoru soon found himself under the running water of his cold shower, but it had done little to take away the feelings from him, and he wondered if he'd ever have the opportunity to take a warm shower again.

"Bits and pieces," he managed to reply to Usagi, rationalizing that it wasn't technically a lie.

Usagi sighed, and cast her eyes downward, "It makes me sad sometimes. That I can't remember more of it. I bet it was beautiful."

It was his turn to sigh, his breath releasing in relief that she hadn't caught the uncomfortable turn of his thoughts. "It sure didn't end that way," he replied, a silent shudder running through him.

"No…" she said, quietly, "no, I guess it didn't."

"Hey, don't be too sad, Usako," Mamoru said, while placing an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"Why?" she asked, wistfully.

"Because we have something they never had."

Usagi gave him a quizzical look. "What's that?"

He smiled at her. "Time."

Her confused look didn't dissipate at his answer. "Time?"

"Yes, Usa, time. We were doomed from the start, back then. We were living our lives on borrowed time, but now…" he trailed off, looking up at the few stars whose light managed to filter through all that was Tokyo, before looking back down at her, "...now, we have our whole lives ahead of us. I don't have to wonder if this is the last time I'll see you, when it will all end and come crashing down around us. We're safe and free, and we have _time_."

A smile slowly crept its way onto Usagi's lips, as he looked down at her, eyes full of meaning, and she nodded her head in understanding, seeming to accept that, perhaps, she wouldn't need to grasp at those memories so hard anymore.

And Mamoru realized, then, that he had needed to be reminded of this simple fact just as much as Usagi had, his mind wandering back to their earlier kisses, and how he'd longed to deepen them.

There would be time for that, he reasoned, and for now, he was content to simply love her, and let the rest come as it may.


	6. Family

_AN: Thank you, as always, to FloraOne for making this all a possibility with her AMAZING skills. Love her SO MUCH._

 _I hope you all enjoy this little diddy, and let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru checked his watch, nervously, and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

4:30pm.

Usagi had promised to meet him outside of her home at 4:15. He ran down the usual list of suspect causes for her lateness. Detention? No, he'd called her at seven that morning to wake her up, and even walked her to school himself, so he knew she'd been on time. The Crown, maybe? As much as she loved the place, he found it hard to believe she'd miss the chance at seeing him. Mamoru knew how much they both loved their dates, no matter how simple they were.

His mind flashed back to her tired yawns, and sleepy replies, as she leaned most of her body weight on him, when they'd walked towards the school, and suddenly, he knew exactly why she wasn't there to greet him.

Usagi was napping. Which meant he'd have to go up to the door, and face the matriarch of the Tsukino family in order to have any chance at getting her up.

A part of him thought, for the briefest of moments, about walking away towards his apartment. He was terrified of her parents. The few dates he'd gone on before meeting Usagi weren't exactly serious, so he'd never had the distinct pleasure of being taken home by any girl, and having no memory of his own parents, Mamoru felt clueless about how one should act around them. And besides, it wasn't his fault, after all, that she'd fallen asleep.

But he knew that excuse wouldn't sit well with Usagi, and the much larger part of him that wanted, and _needed_ to see her, kept him to the quiet safety of his apartment.

Mamoru rolled his eyes at himself, when he realized Usagi had turned him into one of _those_ people. The ones who missed their significant others, even though they'd only seen them eight hours before.

But no, he reassured himself. He and Usagi were different than those other people. They were soulmates. Overcoming any and all obstacles through in their way. They were meant to be. He had an excuse to long to be near her so much!

It was this intense longing, that drove his feet to move, unwittingly towards the Tsukino house, and before his brain was able to register the ever growing terror within him, the doorbell was resounding throughout the home in front of him.

As he predicted, Mamoru was soon greeted by Tsukino Ikuko. Her face registering surprise, upon seeing him outside her door, before falling into a pleasant and welcoming smile.

"Mamoru-san!" she exclaimed, "What a lovely surprise. You're here for Usagi, I take it? I'm afraid she's taking a nap, at the moment."

Mamoru relaxed slightly as Ikuko spoke, a genuine warmth about her. "Yes, Tsukino-san. I'm sorry to bother you, it's just that Usagi was supposed to meet me, and after she was late, I figured she must have fallen asleep," he replied, doing his best to muster a smile.

"Well, you know our Usagi-chan. If she isn't eating, she's sleeping!" Ikuko said, an expression of mock annoyance on her face. "Why don't you come in and have some tea, while we await your sleeping beauty, hmm?"

"Uh…" Mamoru was sure the woman in front of him could see how uncomfortable the suggestion made him feel, but it wasn't as if he could deny her. "Sure. I'd- I'd love to."

Ikuko waited for him in the entryway, while he removed his shoes, smiling at him, again, before leading the way to the kitchen, her dark blue, purple-ish hair moving about her as she walked.

"Have a seat, dear," she told him, motioning to the table, before she turned around to busy herself with making tea, her slippered feet barely making any noise, as she shuffled around the kitchen.

Mamoru was content to watch her work, not minding the silence, but fearing what was to come whenever she finished her task. He didn't have to wait long as he heard the kettle's whistle sound shrill and clear.

"Do you take anything in your tea? Honey? Sugar?" she asked, while pouring the tea into two delicate china cups.

"No, just plain tea is fine, thank you, Tsukino-san," he responded, softly, reaching up to brush stray bangs from his eyes.

"Well, then," Ikuko began, sitting down in the chair across from him, sliding a cup to him. "It's been quite some time since we've seen you, Mamoru-san. A few months at least, if my memory serves?"

He looked up at her, unable to hide the frightened look on his face, his uneasiness growing in leaps and bounds, when he saw the look she wore on her face. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, eyebrow raised in question, judgement clear in her tone of voice, and all the warmth he had felt from her before, vanished into the air. He couldn't help but feel he was facing down a vicious jungle cat, hackles raised, teeth bared, ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

Mamoru knew exactly what she was insinuating with her question, and he also knew he wasn't going to escape the house unscathed. Taking in a ragged breath, lowering his eyes in embarrassment, he fumbled for the right words, "Uh...ye-yes, Tsukino-san, it has been…' he paused and blanched before continuing, "...awhile. I'm so sorry for being...absent, for so long."

"And why is that, dear? Did something happen that kept you away?" she asked, unmoving and completely unphased by his visible squirming.

He was still unable to meet her eyes. "Yes, Tsukino-san," he affirmed when he finally found his voice, once more. "You see...Usagi and I were…separated for a time."

"Hmm," she said, as if thinking about his words, "That's unfortunate, Mamoru-san. I can't imagine Usagi would ever be the one to initiate such a thing, considering how taken she is with you. Was she the one who asked for the separation?"

Mamoru didn't make any attempt to stop the pained expression that came onto his face. "No...no, she wasn't."

"Well, knowing Usagi as you appear to, I think you can also imagine how incredibly heart-breaking that would be for her, can't you? Crying herself to sleep, barely eating, my bright and beautiful daughter inconsolable, depressed even, for weeks?"

"Yes, Tsukino-san," he replied, lamely, not even offering an excuse.

"Is this something you do regularly? Walking in and out of girl's lives?"

"No, of course not! Usagi's the first girl I've ever dated-"

"So, you felt you could just do whatever you wanted to her? She was expendable, because you'd just go find someone else?"

"No!" he practically shouted, taking a breath to steady himself. "Usagi is _precious_ to me, Tsukino-san. I would never-"

"And yet, even after all the pain you caused my sweet Usagi, here you sit, in my house, drinking my tea, as if you have a right to be here."

A new wave of terror crashed into him. What if Ikuko forbade Usagi from seeing him? She certainly appeared angry enough to do so. And though Mamoru knew Usagi would never stand for such a thing, he couldn't put her in a position where she had to openly defy her parents, or worse, go behind their backs on account of him.

Yes, he was guilty of all the things Ikuko accused him of, and though he couldn't exactly explain the situation to her in full, he had to make her understand, somehow.

For the first time since his arrival in the house, Mamoru looked Tsukino Ikuko in the eye, and held her gaze firmly.

"I- this is hard for me. I'm sorry I'm not expressing myself well. You're right, Tsukino-san. I don't have any right to be here. I deserve the worst punishment anyone could give for hurting Usagi like I did. I...I didn't think I was good for her. You know better than anyone what an incredible person your daughter is."

He stopped, briefly, trying to reign in the emotions surging through him, taking another deep breath, before continuing. "I love your daughter, Tsukino-san. And I completely understand your anger towards me. I'm still working on forgiving myself, but Usagi, by some miracle, has chosen to forgive me, and I hope you can come to forgive me too, someday, as I plan on doing everything I can to prove myself worthy of her."

The two stared at each other in silence, for a few, long moments, before Ikuko smiled at him, the warmth returning in her features, and she reached her hand across the table to cover his. "All is forgiven, Mamoru-san. If Usagi loves you, which I know she does, then we love you, as well."

Shock registered on Mamoru's face. "But-"

Ikuko shook her finger at him to silence him. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't give you a hard time, dear?" she said, winking at him. "After all, you _did_ make an incredibly stupid choice."

He couldn't help the smile that broke onto his face, tension finally releasing from his shoulders. "Thank you, Tsukino-san."

"Ikuko," she corrected him in a scolding tone, the smile never leaving her face. "You're always welcome here, Mamoru. You're a part of this family now. Just don't let it be months before we see you, again, alright?"

Mamoru's heart swelled painfully at her words, and he wished he could manage to tell her just how very grateful he was, but her smile told him that she knew.

"Now, why don't you go on ahead and wake Usagi up? I think I've tortured you long enough," she giggled just like Usagi so often did. "Her room is at the top of the stairs, just down the hall to your right. You'll know it when you see it."

He nodded and rose from his seat, and as he began to make his way out of the kitchen, but he turned back towards her when he heard Ikuko speak.

"Oh, and Mamoru? I trust that this separation of yours was a one time occurrence?"

He smiled back at her, but he kept his eyes hard, and serious. "You have my word."

Ikuko nodded her head once in affirmation, and then began to shoo him up the stairs.

Mamoru chuckled to himself when he crested the stairs, a bright door decorated with bunnies and everything pink beckoning to him. His girlfriend was truly one of a kind.

Opening the door, quietly, he smiled fondly, when his eyes fell upon the slumbering rabbit. Memories flooding him of entering her room so many times before, under very different circumstances, and always through the window, never simply, as he was now, through the door.

He moved over towards the bed, sitting on his knees, and placing light kisses all over her face.

She stirred, a dreamy smile on her face. "Mmm, hi, Mamo-chan."

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, stroking her cheek. "Do you usually just assume people kissing you are me?"

She giggled, sleep still evident in her voice. "Well, if anyone other than you tries to kiss me, I know you'll make sure they never kiss anyone else ever again."

"Damn straight."

She reached up, taking her turn at stroking his face. "I'm sorry I fell asleep. Have you been waiting long?"

"Nah," he said, shrugging. "Your mother and I had a nice chat."

Usagi's eyes grew wide, as she sat up on her elbows in alarm, and he laughed. "Don't worry, she likes me."

She relaxed, before chiding him, "I _told_ you she would!"

"Mhmm. Then why did your eyes get so big just a second ago?" he asked, teasing.

"Well, you know, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I wasn't at least a little concerned about you?"

"The worst kind," he said, trying to sound as serious as he could. "But since you're the best kind, why don't we go get some ice cream, huh?"

"Hmm, I don't know...this bed is awfully comfortable," Usagi told him, laying back down and snuggling into her pillows. "But maybe you can convince me to leave it…"

"And just what would it take to do that?"

She reached up and touched his lips, tapping them a few times, before moving the finger to her own, making a straight line between their faces.

Mamoru rolled his eyes, playfully, before leaning down and indulging her, his heart lighter than it had been in ages.


	7. Orphan

_**AN: Heyyy, everyone! I know that Mamoru week over on Tumblr is officially finished, BUT I decided to go on with this lovely series, and instead of doing just one week, I'm going to complete all 40 prompts, so, that's why I allowed myself a couple of days off xD**_

 _ **Thank you so much to my sweet friend, FloraOne, who always finds time for me and my stories, even when she's in the midst of writing an EPIC fanfic. You're the BEST, love 33333**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!**_

 ** _oOo_**

Mamoru sighed as he entered his dark and empty apartment. He paused, briefly, in the entryway, kicking off his shoes, but not even bothering to don the slippers waiting there for him, as he threw his keys onto the kitchen counter. Moving sluggishly towards the couch, he fell onto the soft cushions without any of his usual grace.

He'd just returned home from an outing with Usagi, and he was finding, the more time he spent with her, the less his apartment felt like the sanctuary it once had. Instead, it only served to remind him that she wasn't there, wrapped up in his arms, as he longed for her to be.

Never had Mamoru imagined he'd become so dependent on someone, let alone a fourteen year old girl who was his opposite in nearly every conceivable way. But, perhaps even more surprising, was that he didn't seem to mind his attachment to Usagi. In fact, he looked forward to deepening his connection with her every day, and if he wasn't so madly in love with the girl, he knew he'd be terrified of the notion.

But he wasn't in the slightest. Usagi brought a kind of structure to his life that Mamoru had no idea he was missing until it was there. She was always there when he needed her, always had been, always would be, and though that notion was foreign to him, he was finding it much easier to adapt to than he thought.

Mamoru picked up the television remote, and began to mindlessly flip through channels, hoping to fill a bit of the aching void he felt in his chest, since leaving Usagi, with some mind-numbing noise. It took him all of approximately two minutes to realize just how little the sound was doing to calm his nerves, so he flipped it off, and ran a frustrated hand through his midnight hair.

His eye caught sight of his phone, sitting innocently on the side table next to the couch. He sat up, the idea of calling Usagi to ease his loneliness forming in his mind. Before he even realized he'd made the decision, Mamoru had begun to move towards the phone.

Dialing the numbers he knew by heart, he felt his finger hesitate over the final number. _What am I doing?_ he mentally scolded himself. _You just left her. It's pretty pathetic that you can't manage to go an hour without seeing or talking to her._

It was the orphan in him, he supposed, that was causing him to cling to Usagi so much. He had been robbed of affection and attention for as long as he could remember. Mamoru was fairly certain his parents had loved him, but the crash that had robbed him of his mother and father, robbed him of any memory of them, as well. If only he could remember _something_ of them, maybe he wouldn't be so desperate for her.

Placing the phone back in its holster, Mamoru laid back down on the couch, his brain running down the list of things he could do to distract himself from, once again, picking up the phone.

Sleep was out of the question. He was too worked up from the goodbye kiss he'd given Usagi before she'd exited his car. Mamoru smiled, as the image of her blissful face, whispering, "Mamo-chan," came into his mind.

God, he loved that girl.

He supposed he could read, but nearly everything he read these days reminded Mamoru of her. Even genetics, when he had been reading about the gene polymorphisms that determine eye and hair color, only caused him to think about the endless blue depths of her eyes, and the magical, golden sheen of her hair.

Mamoru briefly considered going for a run. They often did wonders for clearing his headspace. But he knew his feet would take him back to Usagi. Back to her house, where he'd, more than likely, climb the tree outside her balcony, and hop in her open window to steal one last kiss from her for the night.

With sleeping, reading, television watching and running out of the question, Mamoru couldn't help but laugh at himself, as the ridiculousness of his predicament made itself known.

Usagi had wrecked him, had managed to plant herself so firmly in his life, that she affected every aspect of it. And while a younger, more naive version of himself would have fought such a realization tooth and nail, Mamoru found himself more deeply in love with Usagi than ever before.

And why should he be ashamed of needing to hear her voice, even when he'd just left her an hour ago? Why should he be ashamed when he loved her, knew she loved him just as intensely?

Before he could blink, he found himself, once again, with the phone perched in his hand, finally resolved to call his sweet Usako. However, his newfound resolve was interrupted by the unexpected shrill ring of the phone.

Taking a few seconds to slow his pounding heart due to the surprise sound, Mamoru clicked the answer button on his receiver.

"Hello?"

"Mamo-chan?"

A flood of relief came over him at the sound of her voice, and he was unable to keep his face from breaking into a wide grin. "Hi, Usako."

"I'm so sorry to call you, but I got home and was reading my manga, and I just _missed_ you," she rushed out in a flurry of words. "I know it's silly. I just saw you, how could I possibly miss you so much? I'm such a kid sometimes, huh, Mamo-chan? I-"

"Usako, stop," he broke her off, wishing desperately that she was in front of him so he could chase her worries away by gathering her up in his embrace. "I don't think you're silly at all."

"You don't?" The surprise was evident in her voice, and Mamoru chuckled at her.

"No, Usa, I don't. I was actually just about to call you, myself. I..." he paused, a blush on his face, "...I missed you, too."

A brief silence hung over the airwaves, before Usagi managed to stutter out, "Y-you missed _me?_ "

He laughed, again. "Yes, Odango Atama. Is that so hard to believe?" he replied, knowing that if she had been standing in front of him, a blush as deep as his own would be coloring her cheeks.

"Ooo, you and that nickname!" she seethed in annoyance, completely moving past their previous discussion.

"I have no idea why you hate it so much, Usako. It's a term of endearment!" He'd been trying to convince her of this fact for quite some time, now, but it didn't seem to be working out in his favor, yet.

"Yeah, I'm sure," came her sarcastic reply.

"Really, it is! I mean, how many other girls did I go around giving adorable nicknames to, hmm?" He still loved to tease her, and he doubted that would ever change.

"I'm not sure, but considering the number of girls in your fanclub, I have a feeling it's quite a few," Usagi quipped back.

"It's not my fault I'm so ridiculously good looking."

"And humble. Don't forget humble," she admonished, but Mamoru could tell she was teasing him back, now.

Mamoru rather enjoyed how comfortable they had become with each other, since their separation had come to an end. There was still some nervousness there, as the two struggled to deal with the depth of their feelings for each other, but they were quickly finding a beautiful synchronicity and flow to their relationship. One he could relax in, and simply enjoy, instead of worrying about every little move he was about to make.

"Hey, Usa?"

"Yes, Mamo-chan?"

"Thank you. For everything," he said, knowing she would understand, because she knew him, and he could almost feel her smiling into the phone.

"You're welcome, Mamo-chan," she replied, shyly. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Evil queens, demented wise men and cackling green-haired villains couldn't keep me away."

"You're silly," she said, giggling lightly. "Hey, Mamo-chan?

"Yes, Usa?"

"I love you," came her sincere reply, without the slightest bit of hesitation.

A momentary shock hit him, at her words. Sure, they had exchanged the words, "I love you," before, but it was usually in response to something adorable or sweet the other had done. Mamoru couldn't recall a time when they had said the words _just because_.

But the shock soon gave way to a calming warmth that spread through him. _Her_ warmth. And he knew he didn't have anything to be afraid of, any longer, the words forming on his lips as naturally as any he'd ever said.

"I love you, too, Usako."


	8. Responsibility

_AN: Thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed and read so far! I hope you're enjoying reading it, as much as I have enjoyed writing it._

 _My biggest thanks, as always, goes to FloraOne, for constantly being there to listen to me whine, encouraging me when I get it into my head that I have no business writing anything at all, and for being the best beta the world's ever known 333_

 _And with that, please enjoy the newest installment of this 40 chapter fluff piece!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru had never considered himself to be a jealous man. In fact, he often prided himself on his ability to keep his emotions at arm's length, to look at every situation with a rationality that would obviously lead him to the right decision. But when the one thing that mattered most to him in the world was being threatened, all rationality went out the window.

It had started off as any other after school date at the Crown would. He'd met Usagi at her school, walked hand in hand with her towards the arcade, as she regaled him with all the stories of her day, and when they'd arrived at their destination, they'd both ordered their usuals, coffee for him, milkshake for her.

And once they'd settled down into their usual booth together, Usagi snuggled into his side, sighing dreamily with every bite of ice cream, Mamoru noticed a brown haired boy, around Usagi's age, and dressed in the uniform from her school, who couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her.

This, in and of itself, wasn't a surprise to him, nor a bother, really. Mamoru was used to the stares his tiny girlfriend received. She was, after all, gorgeous. Everything any red-blooded, straight man could ever want. And he didn't mind the staring all that much. It was bound to happen, and since Usagi was attached to his side on a fairly regular basis, he knew that _most_ guys who dared to look her way, would know, with a strong amount of certainty, that she was off the market.

But Mamoru failed to take into account that his gender could be, especially when around the tender ages of fourteen or fifteen, completely ruled by hormones. Strong, ever present, overwhelming _hormones_. And it wasn't until the aforementioned brown haired boy started to make his way towards them, that Mamoru realized just how silly he'd been to discount this particular demographic.

The boy waved in greeting, calling out to Usagi, and when he finally reached the couple, he slid into the seat across from them, as if he belonged there, and began a frivolous conversation with Usagi.

Mamoru remained silent, blood boiling, eyes glaring, unable to comprehend any of the words that were passing between the other two people sitting with him, as angry thoughts raced through his mind. _Who the hell does this kid think he is? Isn't it obvious that Usako and I are here, together? What gives him any right to just invite himself over here?_

But no matter how intently he stared at the intruder, the boy didn't seem to get the hint, and he even became more daring with his words, as he began to openly flirt with Usagi.

More, hot anger flooded Mamoru's veins, and his mind, unwittingly, flashed back to the only other time he could ever remember being so angry.

 _Demande._

Even two months after Usagi had been taken against her will by the Black Moon prince, Mamoru was still plagued by anger and disappointment. But not at Demande, as one might suspect. The anger was, instead, pointed towards himself. He had a responsibility to protect Usagi. And he had failed, once again.

Never in his life had he felt such fear, as he had when he'd been forced to witness Usagi being taken. She had been rendered helpless, unable to move, only able to cry out to him in panic. He would never forget the desperation in her eyes and voice. It haunted him. And he could do nothing to stop it.

Mamoru had moved as quickly as he could to get her back, his future self aiding him with transport and knowledge of where she had been taken. But even though he was able to reach her quickly, the minutes that ticked by seemed like an eternity, a constant reminder of how deeply he had failed her.

When he'd reached the palace where Demande had taken her, he relied on his bond with Usagi to lead him to her. And when he found she was behind a wall of glass that was nearly half a foot deep, there had been no hesitation. He mustered every ounce of strength he had, busting through the glass with a surprising amount of ease.

The sight that greeted him, after he broke through the wall, was another that would remain ingrained in his memory for the rest of his days. Demande had, again, taken away Usagi's ability to move, had her dressed in a gown that mirrored the one Neo Queen Serenity wore, and was pulling her towards him, intent on stealing everything her body would allow.

Mamoru had never felt the urge to kill, before, but in those next few moments, he had to force down the voice in his mind that practically begged him to make the white-haired prince suffer as much pain as he could possibly inflict.

Usagi had been so grateful to him, when he'd finally gotten her away to safety, but the guilt he felt inside of him at not having been able to stop the whole situation from happening to begin with, ate at him.

How many times had he promised to protect her? Mamoru could vividly remember making her mother such a promise the night Beryl had ascended to the moon, destroying everything in her path, and taking the lives of both Endymion and Serenity. He had promised Sailor Moon the same, before either of them knew of the other's civilian identities. And he'd promised her, once more, after he'd regained his memories, after Usagi had healed Ail and An. And yet, every time, he had failed.

Some protector he was.

Mamoru was shaken from his thoughts, when he heard the boy across from them, boldly ask, "Hey, Usagi-chan, would you like to go to the movies with me sometime?"

He couldn't remain silent, anymore. This boy, whatever his name was (he'd missed it while brooding over his failures), had gone too far. The lines had been crossed.

But as soon as he'd finally found his voice to speak, Mamoru felt a small hand, Usagi's hand, enclose around his, and he stilled, instantly, calmness flooding through him.

"Oh, I'd love to, Akio!" Usagi responded, a bright smile on her face, but Mamoru could tell it wasn't sincere. "Would it be alright if my boyfriend came along, too?"

The boy, apparently named Akio, swallowed visibly, his eyes growing wide. "You-your what?" he managed to sputter out.

Usagi's smile hadn't moved. "My boyfriend, Mamoru," she gestured towards him, and Mamoru couldn't help the smirk that crept its way onto his lips.

She paused, threading her arms around his, and smiling up at him briefly, before continuing, "You know, the guy who's sitting right next to me, being so patient while you try to get his girlfriend to go on a date with you? The one who I come here with, everyday? The one who picks me up from school, and calls me 'Usako?' Can he come with us?"

Akio squirmed for a moment, before rising from the booth, a deep blush tainting his face. "Oh. I-I'm s-sorry. I didn't know." He backed away, muttering a quick, "See you at school," and then he was gone.

Mamoru realized, as he watched, amusedly, Akio's retreating form, pride swelling in his chest, that Usagi didn't need his protection. She didn't need _anyone's_ protection. This slight girl who had just shut down the affections of a possible suitor better than he ever could have dreamed, was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

His responsibility was to simply be there for her, when and if she needed him.

And that was a job, he knew, with a strong amount of certainty, that he could do better than anyone else.


	9. Baka

_I'm baaaccckkkkkkkk. Did you miss me?! Did you?! (if you didn't please don't tell me, I have a fragile disposition xD) I took a little break from writing to clear my head and get back into a decent headspace, so thank you for your patience while I did that 3_

 _You might have noticed that the rating of these has changed to M. You'll probably see why as you read this little installment, BUT full disclaimer, Usagi and Mamoru WILL NOT BE HAVING SEX during this series. But I think it's important to remember that, while Mamoru was a gentleman in every sense of the word, he was still a red-blooded, horny teenager. So, he thinks about sex. Wants sex. And he's got a hot, and probably ridiculously flexible girlfriend...you do the math xD_

 _A HUGE thank you to my darling FloraOne for pushing me through my break, encouraging me along the way, and taking time from her crazy exam studying to beta this for me. You're the best, love 3_

 _And I think that's all the rambling I need to do, for now :D let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy!_

 _oOo_

Usagi was going to be the death of him.

Not intentionally, of course, but she was still dangerous, no less. And not in the way one would assume she would be, being the most powerful being in the universe. No, it wasn't _that_ danger he was sure would kill him.

Usagi's danger, at least where Mamoru was concerned, lay in the fact that she was gorgeous, stunning, insanely beautiful. Sexy.

 _Baka,_ he would repeatedly reprimand himself when thoughts of her like that filtered into his mind numerous times a day. _She's only_ almost _fifteen_. But try as he might, these facts did little to abate his overwhelming, hormonal urges.

And he did try. God knows he tried to not give into those nearly ever present urges. But the closer he became to his girlfriend, the more difficult it became to ignore. He'd even spent a considerable amount of time looking up Japan's laws on consent, hoping it would prohibit him even further, serving as another roadblock in his hormone's attempt to control his body. Not that he would _ever_ do something against Usagi's consent, he had simply hoped for another rational reason to provide his mind. But since one didn't reach adulthood until the age of 20 in their country, making both Usagi and _him_ minors, it had only served as another reminder of everything he could do with her.

Usagi was constantly doing things that tortured him; licking her lips in anticipation of the ice cream that was being set down in front of her, moving one of her long streams of hair over her shoulder to reveal the expanse of her neck, stretching her legs across his lap as they sat and read on their favorite park bench...And if he hadn't known her as well as he did, Mamoru would have sworn she was doing all of it purposefully, but of course, his bubbly ray of sunshine had no idea the affect she was having on him.

Compounding his problem, were the near nightly dreams he was having about a life he had lived so long ago. Dreams of Usagi, then named Serenity, but still Usagi, all the same, sprawled out beneath him, as he moved deep inside her, and she would bite her lip in an attempt to not cry out her pleasure, lest they be discovered.

Or the dream he'd just woken up from, and perhaps his favorite so far, where Serenity had boldly straddled him, hair surrounding them like a curtain, a look of deep concentration on her face, as she moved back and forth, seeking relief that she so desperately needed. Relief that she allowed only him to give her.

It was, without a doubt, the sexiest thing he had ever seen. And the fact that he'd once lived this exact fantasy, made it all that much more excruciating.

Mamoru's own groan of pleasure at what he was experiencing in his dream was what had brought him back to the world of the living. The undeniable evidence of his arousal greeted him beneath the thin sheet of his bed.

Groaning, for an entirely different reason, he rolled over on his side, doing his best to think of something, _anything_ that would chase the thoughts of Usagi bringing herself to ecstasy while perched on top of him. But the more he tried not to think about it, the more he couldn't stop thinking about it.

 _She's only almost 15. She's only almost 15. She's only…_

Something in him had snapped. Mamoru just couldn't take stand it any longer. It was all just too damn much. Grateful that he need only envision her sweet face in his mind in order to end his exquisite torture, and before he could even think, his brain had switched off and lust took over, his hips moving on their own accord in time with his hand.

A few minutes later, he found himself completely exhausted after an endless time of pent up frustration had finally been released. But just as soon as the relief had come, a wave of guilt and embarrassment washed over him.

 _Baka, baka, baka! You did_ NOT _just do that!_

But, he couldn't muster up enough strength to truly regret what he'd done. It had felt too good, had been so badly needed…

Mamoru knew enough from the countless science classes he'd sat through to know his actions were completely normal, and as long as Usagi didn't know that he'd had an extremely powerful orgasm just imagining her face, he could live with himself.

But he also wasn't naive enough to think this was anything but a short term solution at best, and he groaned in frustration thinking about the ice cream date he was set to take her on in a few short hours.

A date dedicated entirely to sitting and watching Usagi lick a spoon, eyes rolled back as sounds of pleasure left her.

 _Oh, he was so fucked._

What a baka, indeed.


	10. Motoki

_AN: Heeeeeyyy, so, I need to apologize about this one in advance. It's so sappy, Vermont called for my_ _recipe. SO, SO, SO much sap...I almost threw this one away completely because of it, so I hope it's still readable, at least. Thank you, as always to FloraOne for betaing this for me, and a happy anniversary to her and her husband 3 this one's for you, such as it is lol let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru sat in the arcade, staring blankly into his steaming cup of coffee, hoping it would magically provide the answers he was seeking. But after nearly five minutes, he sighed deeply, as no answer had come, and he was no better off than when he'd started.

"Dare I ask what all this dramatic sighing is about?" Motoki's voice filtered into his stream of thought. The blonde had slid into the booth across from Mamoru, apparently on one of his numerous work breaks. "You didn't break up with Usagi-chan, again, did you?"

Mamoru glared at his best friend, resisting the urge to reach out and slap his grinning face. "No, Motoki. I'm not that stupid."

Motoki shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you did it once, and looked pretty much like you do now for months, so it's not like it's out of the realm of possibility."

The ebony haired man's glare grew even more icy. "Was the only reason you came over here to point out my shortcomings?"

Motoki's annoying grin returned. "Of course not!" he replied, voice conveying a tone of mock hurt. "I came over to check on you out of genuine concern!"

Mamoru raised his eyebrow in question, to which Motoki continued, "And to make sure I didn't need to kick your ass for hurting Usagi-chan, again."

Groaning in frustration, Mamoru let his head fall onto the table, with a loud, 'thunk.' "What did I ever do to deserve you as my friend," he said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Motoki laughed loudly. "Oh, come on, Mamoru-kun!" he said, hands reaching out to shake Mamoru back up into a sitting position. "Now, seriously. What's wrong?"

Mamoru eyed his friend warily for a few seconds, before another sigh left him. "Usa and my one month anniversary is next week," he finally revealed, blanching as he waiting for the ridicule to come. When it didn't, he glanced up at Motoki, who was looking at him expectantly, waiting for Mamoru to continue. "And I want it to be special for her, but I have no idea what to do."

Motoki sat back in the booth, appearing to think. "Well, why don't you just take her to dinner and a movie or something? There's always something out that she wants to see."

The urge to slap his friend returned ten fold. "Motoki, that's the most cliched thing you could possibly come up with."

"What do you mean? It's a classic!"

"Maybe if you're forty five years old," Mamoru responded. And when Motoki opened his mouth to undoubtedly remind him he had the soul of an eighty year old, Mamoru quickly countered, " _Which neither of us are._ And besides, that's just not _us_. We're not dinner and a movie kind of people."

"Alright, fair enough," Motoki replied. "So, what kind of ideas did you have?"

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Mamoru audibly groaned, and ran frustrated fingers through his hair. "I don't know, that's the problem. Everything I think of, I just know she's going to be disappointed by…" he finished softly, looking back up at his friend. He was surprised to be greeted by a completely confused Motoki. "What?!" he practically shouted at the blonde, annoyance rising up in him at how incredibly unhelpful Motoki was being.

"Dude..." Motoki started slowly, as if searching for the right words. "You know this is Usagi we're talking about, right? The girl who gets excited about there being an extra sprinkle on her ice cream…?"

"What's your point, Motoki?" he replied, patience having long left him.

"What do you mean what's my point?! Usagi gets excited about _everything_! And she loves you more than _anything_ , so I'm fairly certain you could splash mud on her, and she'd be happy about it."

Mamoru looked down into his, now cold, cup of coffee, rolling Motoki's words over in his mind. Now that he thought about the situation, his friend did have a point. Usagi was so full of life, that she did get excited about the smallest things. It was one of the attributes he loved most about her. How everything was new and exciting and wonderful, no matter how many times the cute rabbit had experienced it before.

But he still needed this to be special for her. After all the hurt and pain he'd caused Usagi, she deserved a special night from him. And it was a milestone for the two of them, no matter how small it might be compared to the centuries they would eventually spend together.

Sensing Mamoru's continued discomfort, Motoki went on, "Hey, listen. Why don't you bring her here?"

"Here?" Mamoru countered incredulously. "But we come here, everyday. No offense, man, but there's nothing special about coming here."

Motoki reached across the table and punched Mamoru in the arm, ignoring his friend's cry of, 'hey, what was THAT for?!' he began to spell out the plan that was cooking in his mind. "It's not going to be just like any other day, baka! You want to go all out, right?"

"Well, yes-"

"Like Titanic levels of overboard?"

"Yes, Motoki. Titanic levels of overboard," Mamoru deadpanned.

"Then here's what we do…"

 _oOo_

"Mamo-chan, where are we going?" Usagi questioned sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him from the passenger seat of his car for what had to have been the dozenth time.

Mamoru couldn't help but laugh at her attempts to charm his secret out of him. "Now, Usako, didn't your mother ever tell you that patience is a virtue?" he winked at her, glancing over to see her small form bathed in light from passing street lamps.

The adorable pout he could never resist made its way onto her lips. "Mammooo-chhhhaannnn!" she pleaded, none too quietly.

"Usaaaakooooo!" he whined back at her, causing Usagi to playfully swat his arm in annoyance, as he laughed at her, again.

"You're not fair, Mamo-chan," she said, her voice back to its normal level. Usagi's tiny hands smoothed out the fabric of the outfit he'd bought her for the occasion. A knee length, teal, fit and flare dress, with a small bow accentuating her waist. The color made her eyes look impossibly blue, which he couldn't get enough of.

Mamoru had asked Minako to help him find something for Usagi, and when he'd described what he had in mind, the girl had rubbed her hands together in glee, asking with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows, "So, how easily are you wanting her to be able to get out of this little ensemble?"

"Minako!" he'd hissed back at the girl across from him. "She's only _almost_ fifteen! I'm not going to be peeling her out of a dress!"

To which Minako had donned her best innocent look, batting her eyelashes, and replying, "Who said anything about peeling?"

And even though Mamoru had been incredibly wary of her attempts to get Usagi into the most revealing outfit possible, he had to admire her choice of dresses. Usagi looked stunning.

She turned her head back towards him, a look of admiration on her face. "Thank you for the dress, Mamo-chan. I love it."

When they stopped at a stop light, Mamoru leaned toward her, lightly brushing his lips against hers, and enjoying the shiver that ran through her body. "You don't have to keep thanking me, Usa," he whispered, huskily. "It's my pleasure, really." He leaned forward, once again, kissing her nose, playfully, before turning his eyes back to the road.

Mamoru took in a deep breath to steady himself. He was fairly certain she was going to enjoy what he had planned, but there was always a little, nagging doubt in the back of his mind. What if it wasn't enough? What if _he_ wasn't enough?

 _Stop it. She loves you. This will be perfect_ he'd told himself over and over, and it had been enough to calm him, at least slightly.

The couple sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, until they pulled into a parking space across the street from The Crown. Usagi eyed Mamoru suspiciously, as he winked at her, quickly exiting the car, and coming around to open the door for her.

She took his hand, stumbling slightly on the heels she had donned, landing steadfast in her boyfriend's strong arms. They were both suddenly grateful for his car, as Usagi would have surely sprained her ankle walking even the short distance to The Crown from her house.

When she looked up at him, her blush brightening even more, he leaned down to place his forehead against hers.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Usako," Mamoru teased, straightening her form, and moving away from her, as he took her hand and began to walk towards the arcade.

"Mamo-chan, are we going to the arcade for dinner?" Usagi asked, slight apprehension edging her tone.

When they reached the doors, he stopped, and turned towards her, pulling her close. "Now, Odango Atama, do you _really_ think I would bring you to the silly arcade for our anniversary?"

"Welllll...that is where we are…" she responded, confusion written all over her face.

Mamoru leaned down towards her ear, his breath stirring the loose hairs there. "Close your eyes, Usa."

She obeyed, but not without giving him one last confused look, and his worry and fear returned for a brief moment, as he lead her inside, the glass doors opening automatically when they came upon them. He was careful to go slowly, in order to make sure she didn't fall.

When he got her in place, he let go of her hand, moving behind her to wrap his arms around her tiny waist, loving how she melted against his touch. His lips back at her ear, he breathed, "You can open your eyes, now."

An excited gasp left her, as Usagi took in her surroundings. They were, in fact, in the arcade, but it wasn't the arcade she was so accustomed to seeing. It had been completely transformed.

There were hundreds of soft twinkling lights all around. The normal brilliant lights from the arcade games had been turned off, and the bright overhead lights had been dimmed, as well, bathing the room in a twilight glow. Many of the tables that usually filled the dining space were nowhere to be seen, and the loud raucous sounds that so often filled the air were gone. Replaced with quiet lilting music. The kind you could get caught up in your partner's arms listening to while swaying slowly on a dance floor.

Usagi's eyes finally fell on a small, candlelit table in the middle of the room, where a dozen of the reddest roses she'd ever seen lay waiting in a crystal vase, and the only other living soul in the room stood, with a ridiculous grin on his face.

Motoki, dressed to the nines, bowed towards them, and gestured to the table before speaking. "Your table awaits, my lady."

Usagi couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Turning around in Mamoru's arms, she questioned. "You did all this? For me?"

"Well, I can't take all the credit," he said, smiling and nodding toward Motoki. All the unease he'd felt before about her reaction melted away in an instant when he saw her eyes sparkle in the dim light. "But yes, it was all for you."

"Oh, Mamo-chan," she breathed, hugging him fiercely for a long moment, before pulling back to look up at him. "How long is it going to take you to pay him back for this?"

Mamoru chuckled, reaching up to cup her face in his hands. "According to him, the rest of my natural born life."

Usagi laughed along with him, reaching up her own hand to cover his. "Well, I hope it's worth it," she said, sincerely.

His eyes softened, as he leaned down to kiss her, gently. "Oh, it is, Usa. Believe me, it is."

At his smile, the overwhelming urge to kiss him had Usagi reaching up to bring his head down to hers, when they heard a loud, "AHEM," coming in the direction of their table.

Usagi giggled nervously, while an embarrassed blush painted Mamoru's cheeks. Breaking apart, Usagi lead Mamoru over towards the waiting blonde. "Sorry, Motoki-oniisan," Usagi said sheepishly. "This is just all so amazing and beautiful! I got caught up in the moment."

Motoki winked at her. "That's alright, Usagi-chan. You weren't the only one," he said, wiggling his eyebrows in Mamoru's direction.

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be doing something, Motoki? Like serving dinner?"

The blonde's face lit up in recognition. "Oh! Right! Heh, sorry about that," he mumbled, moving towards Usagi's chair to pull it out for her. "You two relax, and I'll be right out with your first course."

Mamoru reveled in Usagi's excitement at Motoki's last words, as she mouthed, "FIRST course?!" her eyes wide. He simply grinned, and nodded in the affirmative.

Usagi then took another moment to take in the room around her, only looking back at Mamoru, when she heard him ask softly, "So...do you like it?"

She reached across the table, and took his hand into her own. "Mamo-chan, it's _wonderful_! I still can't believe you did all this for me."

Mamoru's eyes took on a darkened, intense look. "I'd do anything for you, Usa," he told her sincerely, unable to keep the blush from his cheeks.

"I know, Mamo-chan. I know."

They eased into lighthearted conversation, while Motoki popped in and out of the room, bringing and clearing plates, covering everything from Usagi's latest math test, to how the Ayakashi sisters were faring, to Mamoru's decision to be more social and join a study group.

Mamoru found himself laughing more than he had in ages, enjoying the sweet smiles and enthusiasm of his girlfriend. Being together like this was easy. It was comfortable. It was right.

After the plates had finally been cleared, and Motoki disappeared, once again, to gather dessert, Mamoru rose from his seat. "I'll be right back," he told her with a gleam in his eye.

He walked over towards the counter, and let himself behind it, leaning down in search of whatever he had been hiding. As he straightened and came back around towards their table, Usagi could see a delicately wrapped package in his hand, and a brilliant smile on his face.

She couldn't help but get swept away in his happiness. He was so uninhibited, and it made her feel a warmth inside that she was becoming more and more accustomed to feeling.

When he reached her, Mamoru held out the package to her. "Happy anniversary, Usako."

With shaky hands, Usagi took the present from him, and began to unwrap the paper as slowly as her excitement would allow her. For the second time that evening, she gasped in surprise.

Inside was a small painting of the two of them, exactly like the one they had posed for all those months ago for Yumemi Yumeno, when they were still strong adversaries of one another, refusing to admit to themselves their attraction to each other.

"I contacted Yumemi to see if she had any prints left of the painting we posed for that I could give you," he began, "but when she heard that we were together, and it was an anniversary present, she insisted on painting that for you. She kept going on and on about how she just knew there was something between us back then, and that it was the least she could do since you helped her realize that she shouldn't hide who she was, any longer."

Usagi looked up at him, a sly grin on her face. "I'm surprised she would even speak to you after how you acted that day, Mamo-chan," she said, teasing evident in her voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Usako. I was _delightful_ ," he said, feigning hurt at her words.

Her sweet laugh rang out into the room. "Well, either way, I love this, Mamo-chan. You're so wonderful," she told him, while he simply smiled at her. Taking a deep breath, she went on, "I have something for you, too, but I'm afraid it's not as exciting as your gift."

"Usako, you didn't need to get me anything," he gently chided, while she reached down into her bag, pulling out a small bundle wrapped in pink, bunny wrapping paper.

She shyly handed it to him, delighting in the fact that he ripped it open with the exuberance of a young child on Christmas.

Once he had discarded the wrapping, he found himself to be holding a very old looking, leather bound book. Mamoru was surprised to see his name, well, his _old_ name, scrawled on the front in gold embossment.

"Usa…"

But before he could manage to even squeak out a 'thank you', Usagi had started rambling. "I remembered you said there was a famous poem called, _Endymion_ , and so I started calling a bunch of bookstores to see if they had any copies of it. I found a bunch of newer copies in Japanese, but I figured you would probably want it in English, so I kept searching, and calling, and finally, this used bookstore said they had a copy, so I went to pick it up, and I recognized the name as being yours on the front, and so I hope it's the right thing, because the store owner said it was, and-"

Usagi had been so busy nervously talking, that she hadn't even noticed that Mamoru had, once again, risen from his chair. When he reached her, he pulled her clenched hands into his own, raising her up into his arms, and kissing her soundly.

When he finally pulled away from her, he placed a final kiss on her forehead, before saying, "It's perfect, Usako. Thank you," and he was rewarded with a brilliant smile.

It was at that moment that Motoki came from the kitchen carrying the largest ice cream sundae either of them had ever seen.

When he placed it on the table between them, he announced proudly, "Your dessert this evening is an extra-large, banana, double fudge sundae, with whipped cream."

Usagi's eyes lit up in spectacular fashion, her tongue running over her lips in anticipation, before she smiled fondly, asking, "Motoki, did you put extra sprinkles on this for me?"

He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Of course I did! What kind of friend would I be, if I didn't know the likes of my number one customer?!"

Before either man in the room could blink, Usagi had launched herself at Motoki, capturing him in a death grip hug. "Thank you _so much_ , Motoki! I _looovvveeee_ extra sprinkles!"

Once Motoki had remembered how to breathe, he returned Usagi's hug, patting her on the back, and mouthing to Mamoru, 'told you so.'

Mamoru couldn't help the exasperated roll of his eyes, as Usagi leaned up and kissed Motoki on the cheek. "You two are so sweet!" she said, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly came back to Mamoru, kissing him on the cheek, as well. "This has been the _best_ anniversary a girl could ask for."

Both men smiled widely at her, but Mamoru's faltered slightly, as a sly look came onto her face. "I can't _wait_ to see what you come up with for our sixth month date."

An audible groan left Mamoru, his head falling to the table with an all too familiar, 'thunk', while the two blondes laughed until their sides hurt.


	11. Death

_AN: Oooo, this chapter's about DEATH! But fear not, lovelies, no one important dies. This is just a giant bag of silly fluff._

 _A huge thanks to my darling FloraOne for her wonderful beta & friend skills. You're like, sooooooo AMAZE. 3_

 _Thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed so far, and please let me know what you think of this one! xoxoxoxo_

 _oOo_

Mamoru leaned against the mirrored wall of the elevator wearily. He set his duffel bag on the floor, closing his eyes briefly, as he felt the small box he was in begin to rise towards the upper floors of his apartment building.

Having been away for three days in Osaka, attending a medical conference with his professor and a few select classmates, the Earth prince was ready to sleep in his own bed, having slept terribly the nights he was gone. Not that the hotel was uncomfortable, but being in a city so far from Usagi never allowed him much comfort.

He had to chuckle at himself, whenever he realized just how _gone_ he was over the odango atama. And he was more than willing to fall even harder if he could.

A part of him hoped she might be waiting for him at his apartment, when he got home. She had, after all, been tasked with taking care of his prized, tropical fish while he was in Osaka. Another smile made its way onto his face when he remembered how excited she had been when he'd asked her for the small favor, her eyes lighting up more than he'd ever seen when he handed her the key to his small home. She'd held the key reverently, as if it were made of glass.

Selfishly, he wanted her to be there, so they could put on a movie, and he could curl her up against him and he could nap. He hadn't had the opportunity to do that many times, but there was truly nothing sweeter than falling asleep with his face buried in her hair, while his arms wrapped around her.

When he reached his apartment door, Mamoru was surprised to find the door unlocked. Pushing it open, he smiled when he noticed Usagi sitting on his couch. "Hey, Usako," he said quietly, while he paused to remove his shoes.

He was surprised, however, when she jumped at the sound of his voice. "H-hi, M-mamo-chan," she said nervously, as she approached him, eyes darting around the room while her hands clasped and unclasped in front of her. "H-how was your conference?"

Mamoru straightened, and began to move towards her, crushing her in a hug, hoping to drive away whatever was causing her nervousness. "It was fine, but god, I missed you, Usa."

His hopes for a quick cure were dashed, when she abruptly burst into tears.

"Usako?!" he asked, startled, pulling back from her so he could grasp her by the shoulders. "What's wrong?"

This only caused her deluge of tears to fall harder. "Oh, Mamo-chan!" she cried. "It was...and then I…I didn't mean to, I just...and then it _died!_ "

Terror rose up in him like a tidal wave. Something had died?! _Usagi!_ his mind screamed.

But wait...she was right in front of him. And as far as he could tell, she was completely intact.

A small relief washed over him. Pulling her back against him, Mamoru did his best to soothe her, gently stroking her back, and laying soft kisses on the crown of her head.

"What died, Usako?" he cajoled after a few more moments of wailing.

"Mizuno-chan died, Mamo-chan!" she practically yelled at him, pulling back slightly with tears still flowing.

"M-mizuno?! Ami-chan _died?!"_

This exclamation from him caused her cries to lower several decibels, and for a moment, only sniffling could be heard every few seconds.

Looking at Mamoru as if he'd grown an extra head, she continued, "Ami-chan? No, she's...she's fine." _Sniffle._ "Mizuno, your f-f-fish died, Mamo-chan. And it's all my _fault!"_ The flood of tears began, once more, as she threw herself into his embrace, burying her head in his chest.

Mamoru's brow furrowed in confusion, trying to make any sense of what was coming out of his girlfriend's mouth. His fish had died. He'd been able to gather that much from her last outburst. And she'd apparently named it Mizuno, perhaps in tribute to Ami, who _was not_ dead.

With an affectionate roll of his eyes, he turned his attention back to Usagi. "Usako...this is about a fish?"

She responded with a vigorous shake of her head, never looking up from her place at his chest.

In an attempt to keep from laughing at her, Mamoru bit down on the inside of his cheek, and looked up towards the ceiling. When he'd steadied himself, he took in a deep breath. "Usako," he said, shaking her slightly to try and extract her from her protective spot. "Hey, Usa, look at me, please?"

Usagi hesitantly looked up towards him, streams of tears still evident on her cheeks, and a hiccup wracking her small form.

Mamoru smiled down at her warmly, rubbing his thumbs across her face to wipe some of the tears away. Usagi leaned into his caress, closing her eyes briefly, as comfort washed over her, before she made eye contact with him, again.

"Usako, please don't beat yourself up over this. It was only a fish, and an old one at that," he told her, thumbs still rubbing soothing patterns on her cheeks.

"But Mamo-chan…" Usagi began, guilt riddling her voice, "...what if I kill other things? What if Luna's next? If I can't take care of something so small, how am I ever going to be a mother?!"

He did his best not to blanch at the rising pitch of her voice as her protests went on. "No _wonder_ Chibi-Usa is such a brat! _I'm her mother!"_

There was no stopping the chuckle that left him that time. She was just too adorable for her own good. He couldn't help himself. But when she looked up at him with accusing eyes, he knew he had some explaining to do.

Grabbing her hands, he lead them over to sit on his couch. He sat down facing her, now rubbing his thumbs over the back of her clenched hands.

"Usa, my love, you can't blame yourself for the fish."

When she began to protest, he brought a finger up to her lips, effectively silencing her, and filing the move away for later use. "I mean it, Usako. That fish was old when I got it two years ago. It's entirely possible, and most likely, that it died of old age, and you had nothing to do with it."

"Oh…" was all that came out of Usagi's mouth after several attempts at a retort, so Mamoru continued.

"And as far as you being a mother," he began, "if my memory serves me correctly, which I do have a fairly decent one," here, he paused to wink at her, delighting in the small smile that cracked her lips. "If my memory serves, Chibi-Usa was rather fond of her mother. Extremely so! How many times did you hear her ask for her mother?"

Usagi sighed. "Well...a lot…"

"Exactly. If you were such a bad mother, I don't think she'd have clung to you like she did, or be so fixated on rescuing you in the future. And Chibi-Usa can be a brat because she's _eight_ , Usako," he finished, and this time, he was rewarded with a tiny giggle from Usagi.

She was quiet for a few moments more, before the smile he was accustomed to seeing made its way back onto her face. "You're right, Mamo-chan," she said, throwing herself into him for a hug.

Mamoru returned her embrace, sighing in contentment, as his exhaustion from earlier reared its ugly head. "Hey, Usako?"

"Yes, Mamo-chan?" she answered pulling back to look at him fully.

"Are your parents expecting you home anytime soon?"

Usagi looked at him with one eyebrow raised in question. "No. Why?"

"Do I have to have a _reason_ to not want you to rush home so quickly?" he responded incredulously.

"According to my father, yes, yes you do," she tossed back at him, without skipping a beat.

He shuddered inwardly at the brief mention of her father, before going on, "I just thought maybe you'd want to spend some time with me before you head home?"

Usagi's features softened, as she gazed at him adoringly. "Awww, Mamo-chan. You're so sweet," she said, leaning up to place a light kiss on his lips. "How about we watch a movie and you can cuddle with me and play with my hair?"

"What makes you think I want to play with your hair?"

"Please," she scoffed, "you've been obsessed with my hair from day one, Mamo-chan."

He laughed outright in an admittance of defeat. "Fine. Those things both sound heavenly."

Usagi jumped up and ran to the cabinet where he kept his rather small movie collection. "What do you want to watch?" she asked, turning towards him briefly.

"Finding Nemo?"

"Mamo-chan!"

"Too soon?"

"Yes, you baka!"

"I take it Jaws is out of the question, too?"

" _Mammooo-chhhannnnn,_ " she whined.

Mamoru laughed, again, donning the smile Usagi affectionately called his, 'jack-ass smirk.' "Usako, we can watch whatever you want."

Usagi clapped her hands in glee, her long streamers of hair flying about her, as she turned back to the shelf that housed his movies.

Ten minutes later, after Usagi had made her popcorn, emptied a container of ice cream, and arranged them in a pile of blankets, Mamoru finally found himself in the position he'd longed to be in since arriving back at his apartment.

It wasn't long before his eyelids began to droop, sleep calling him like a siren. His breathing slowed, deep and rhythmic, and Usagi's voice filtered into his mind one more time before his nap claimed him.

"Welcome home, Mamo-chan."


	12. Miracle

_AN: Hey all! I know it's been awhile since I've updated this one, but don't worry! I'm not anywhere near finished! I just started a SilMil fic, which is going to be the LONGEST I've written to date, so I'll be bouncing back and forth between that one and this._

 _This darling little "fluff fest" is dedicated to my sweet beta, FloraOne, who's had to deal with some ridiculous internet trolls the past few weeks. So, this one's for you, love! Hope it made you feel the tiniest bit better 333 I'm still blown away that anyone would ever think you were anything other than the most LOVELY and wonderful person, who only wants to spread love and goodwill. Never change!_

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and the next chapter of Obligation & Desire should be out within the next couple of days!_

 _Let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru smiled to himself, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading, when he heard the key turning in the lock of his apartment.

He'd felt her coming for nearly five minutes, now, anyway.

"Hi, Usa," Mamoru greeted his petite girlfriend, completely unable to keep the smile from his face, as he stood to walk over towards her.

But his smile fell, as soon as he noticed the brown grocery bag in her hands.

"Hi, Mamo-chan!" Usagi said excitedly, skipping over towards him. Her endless golden hair tickled his arms when she leaned up on the tips of her toes to kiss him lightly on the lips.

When she caught his eyes lingering on the bag in her hands, she continued on, "I came to make you lunch!" she chirped happily.

Mamoru suddenly found himself wishing he'd had a much, _much_ larger breakfast, when Usagi smiled at him and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Uh...Usako? Wh-why exactly are you making me lunch?" he asked, following her, sweat beginning to form on his brow.

Usagi paused in unloading the bag, placing her hands on her hips, and frowning at him slightly. "Do I have to have a _reason_ to make you lunch, Mamo-chan?"

"Uh. Well...no. I...I guess not…" he responded, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Her demeanor changed instantly back into the bubbly blonde he had fallen so desperately in love with. "Good! Why don't you go back to reading your book, and I'll let you know when it's ready?"

Mamoru gulped, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Every part of him screamed for him to stay in the kitchen with her.

He loved Usagi. Immensely. Unconditionally! Unfortunately, that simple fact didn't change her propensity to be a walking, talking, tornado of destruction.

In fact, the last time Usagi had attempted to make him dinner, she had included almonds in her recipe, not realizing that those fell into the 'nut' category, to which Mamoru was highly allergic, landing him in the Emergency Room. And as much as he relished the thought of another awkward car ride home, courtesy of Kenji Tsukino, Mamoru was willing to do anything to keep his stomach free and clear of any agents that might cause him to enter anaphylactic shock.

But Mamoru forced himself to push down those fears. Usagi had matured in leaps and bounds since they'd first met, and they were doing their best to build their relationship on a foundation of solid trust.

So, instead of forcing his soulmate out of the kitchen, and both of them to safety, he simply nodded his head, and turned back towards the living room.

Mamoru plopped himself down onto the couch, running a hand through his hair, and breathing raggedly.

 _Please don't let her burn the building down. Please don't let her burn the building down,_ he repeated in his head like a prayer, too busy to notice that the usual clanging and banging that were usually present when Usagi 'cooked' weren't present.

And of course, Mamoru decided the pleasant smells of eggs and rice coming wafting from the kitchen were just his brain playing tricks on him. Especially when he heard a loud, low growl from his stomach.

Sighing in defeat, Mamoru leaned his elbows forward, resting them on his knees, and once again, buried his hands in his thick, ebony locks.

It was in this very position that Usagi found him, just a few moments later.

"Mamo-chan?" she asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Mamoru looked up, startled at the sound of her voice.

Taking a brief second to take in her appearance, he noticed that she didn't wear any stains. Her hair was perfectly in place, and she held a non-shattered plate in her hands with what appeared to be well-formed omurice on it.

Without answering her question, Mamoru stuttered out, "Y-you made that?"

Usagi looked at him with confusion on her face. Glancing from him to the plate of food in her hands. "Yes, I made it, Mamoru-baka!" she said, appearing to have decided she should take offence at his question.

The short blonde walked quickly over to him, her slippered feet making the tiniest of shuffles on the carpet of the apartment. "I made you omurice!" she stated proudly, holding out the plate to him, her earlier anger apparently vanishing.

Mamoru reached out, and took the dish from her with shaky hands.

Not only did it appear to be edible, but she had done a beautiful job with the presentation, as well. The encasing omelette was smooth, and even, and she had even taken the time to draw an adorable little rabbit in ketchup, on the plate.

"Wow, Usako," he said softly. "This looks...really good."

She beamed at him, before a mischievous grin crossed her face. "And you didn't even think I could do it, did you, baka?"

Mamoru laughed at her indignation. "In my defense, we _did_ end up at the hospital the last time you cooked for me," he said teasingly.

But he grew serious, his face losing its smile, as he set the plate on the end table next to him. Taking her hands into his, he looked her square in the eye before he went on.

"But promise me something, Usako."

"Promise you what, Mamo-chan?"

He rubbed soothing circles on the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "Promise me you won't ever let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do, okay?"

Usagi eyed him suspiciously, before smiling warmly at him. "I promise, Mamo-chan," she said leaning down to kiss him fully.

But before he even had the chance to rake his tongue across her bottom lip, or pull her down to sit in his lap, she had pulled away, leaving him to groan in disappointment.

"None of that, Mamoru Chiba! Not until you've had your lunch," she said, pointing to the almost forgotten plate.

Mamoru winked at her, before turning his attention back to the food beside him.

Taking the plate into his hands, he took a tentative bite of the food his girlfriend had made. The instant it hit his tongue, he was pleasantly surprised, again, as he found the omurice tasted as good as it looked.

"Mmm, Usako! This is-" he stopped abruptly when he looked up at her and noticed the cell phone in her hand that appeared to be pointed directly at him. "Odango Atama, what exactly are you doing?"

Usagi dropped her hands to her side, looking at him sheepishly, as if she were a child that had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

She bounced back and forth from foot to foot, avoiding eye contact with him, before she finally answered with a deep blush on her face, "Well, you see, Mamo-chan, I really _did_ want to make you lunch…"

"Usako…" he said warningly, but the grin that crept onto his face gave his true feelings away.

Usagi took a deep breath and continued. "After I cooked for you last time, Rei wouldn't _stop_ making fun of me, so I bet her that I could make a meal that not only didn't make you sick but that you also liked, and she said, 'yeah right, Odango Atama, you can't even make toast correctly,' which just made me even _more_ mad, and so, I bet her new manga for the rest of the year, and she did that cackling thing of hers, like she was _sure_ she was going to win, and she had the _nerve_ to say, 'if you pull this off, it'll be a miracle.' And then I begged Mako-chan to help me out, so we've been working for the past couple of weeks to make sure I could get this right, but there had to be _evidence_ , you see, because Rei said that I had you so wrapped around my finger that you'd do anything for me and-"

Her rant was cut off by Mamoru pulling her firmly into his lap, and kissing her firmly.

Many, many moments later, after Mamoru had finally managed to slake his fill of her mouth, he pulled back, and rested his forehead against hers. "So, you wanted to make me lunch just because, huh?"

Usagi blushed, again, an even deeper red than before. "Manga for the rest of the _year_ Mamo-chan!"

He laughed at her. "Oh, fine. But I'll let you show that video under one condition."

"What's that?" Usagi asked, an edge of worry lacing her voice.

"You let me be there when you tell Rei that she's buying your manga for the rest of the year. I really want to see her face"

It was her turn to laugh. "You drive a hard bargain, Chiba," she said, kissing his cheek, and settling herself into his arms, "But you've got yourself a deal."

Usagi eyed the, once again, forgotten plate, and licked her lips absentmindedly. "Mamo-chan," she began too sweetly, complete with batted eyelashes. "Will you share?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes affectionately, before taking some rice and egg onto his chopsticks. "Open up," he said, chuckling as her mouth popped open in anticipation.


	13. Heal

_AN: Hey all! I know, I know. It's not an O &D update, BUT I refuse to abandon this little baby of mine, even if it doesn't get as much attention xD plus, fluff like this is my bread and butter, so, I can't just give that up!_

 _With that being said, I should have an O &D update sometime before the end of the week, but in the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this and review for me, here, too 3333_

 _Love to you all!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru stood outside the door to the Tsukino house, a tupperware container under one arm, and a bouquet of roses in the other.

He waited patiently for someone to answer, praying to any god who would listen that anyone other than Kenji would open the door for him. Besides the fact that the man terrified him to his core, Mamoru doubted Kenji would allow him past the threshold to deliver his offerings to Usagi.

So lost in the fear of his mind, Mamoru nearly jumped when the door finally did open, and he was greeted with the sweet and loving face of Usagi's mother, Ikuko.

"Mamoru!" she said in pleasant surprise. "We weren't expecting you, were we?"

Mamoru blushed a bright pink at his obvious intrusion. "No, Tsukino-san," he replied with a low bow. "I'm so sorry for dropping by like this, but Usagi cancelled our date tonight because she said she wasn't feeling well, so I wanted to drop these by for her."

He glanced down at the bundles in his arms, and suddenly felt very foolish for standing in front of his girlfriend's mother, bearing soup and roses. The blush refused to leave his face.

"Well, aren't you a dear!" Ikuko said, motherly warmth lacing every word. "Why don't you go on up and see her?"

She stepped back, pulling the door open wider, allowing Mamoru to enter the house, and remove his shoes. "You know the way, I take it?" she asked, with a teasing gleam in her eye.

Mamoru smiled sheepishly, and he nodded, feeling heat rise on his face, once again.

He padded softly by the living room, his steps quickening when the back of Kenji's head came into view, practically sprinting up the stairs to avoid any further questioning.

Mamoru could tell when he had exited his car that the lights were off in Usagi's room, and seeing as it was only 7:30 on a Friday night, he knew she really _must_ be ill.

Raising his hand to knock on her door, he was startled when he head a pained groan coming from the space beyond the door.

Before he could blink, he found his hand turning the knob in fear. "Usako?" he whispered urgently.

The sight that greeted him was a pitiful one.

Usagi shot straight up from her cocoon of blankets, hair tousled, and sticking up in any number of directions. Her pajamas hung loosely off of her, and what appeared to be a heating pad clung to her middle.

"Mamo-chan?!" she cried softly, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

He made his way over towards the bed, setting his gifts down on her nightstand.

The urge in his chest to gather her up in his arms, and crush her to him, was stronger than he remembered it being in a long while, but her response to his presence, made him wonder if he was welcome, here.

"I...well, when you said you were sick, I…" he struggled to find the right words that would make his sudden appearance in her bedroom seem justified. "I m-made you some soup and roses," he finally managed to get out, as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Usagi's face softened, tears pooling in her giant, blue eyes.

"Usako?" he asked worriedly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He was never able to finish his rushed apology, because his arms were suddenly filled with a weeping, blonde rabbit.

Usagi launched herself at him, clinging to him as if he were the last lifeboat aboard the Titanic.

"M-mamo-chan!" she cried between sniffles, "I'm so, SO sorry I canceled on you!

Mamoru felt relief and tenderness course through him. She wanted him here. And with any luck, he could comfort her.

"Usako," he said softly, stroking the back of her head tenderly, "it's ok. I know you don't feel well.

He felt her nod against the fabric of his shirt.

Pulling back from her slightly, he moved the hand from her hair, so he could stroke her tear-stained cheeks. "What's wrong? Is it your stomach?"

Usagi buried her face back into his chest, nodding into him, again.

Mamoru found her reaction odd, but continued to press on in spite of it.

"Did you eat something that upset your stomach? Or is it that nasty bug going around?" he prodded, fingers moving back to her hair.

She clung to him more desperately, and shook her head, 'no'.

Mamoru began to rack his brain for other causes of stomach upset. When he finally landed on a parasitic worm, he figured it might just be best to ask her to tell him what the issue was.

"Then what is it, Usako?" he asked, pulling her further into his arms, and nuzzling his head between her two odango.

She was silent for a few moments, before she mumbled something into his chest that he couldn't quite decipher.

"What was that?"

"I...I've got c-cramps," she whispered, barely audible.

"Cramps? Are you sure you didn't eat something weird?" he asked, brain still not coming to a conclusion on the cause of her malady.

She pulled back from him, annoyance written on her face. "Yes, Mamo-chan. I'm sure," she said, moving out of his arms, and back over to her bed.

He sat down on the edge of her bed, hoping she would make eye contact with him, but she stubbornly refused to meet his gaze.

"Well, do you have any idea what caused them?" he asked, hoping to continue a dialogue with her.

After a few moments passed, and Usagi looked at him bewildered, as if he'd grown a second head. Mamoru reached over and took her hand. "Usa, talk to me, please? I just want to help."

At his pleading tone, Usagi turned her head to face him, her eyes softening. She never could stay annoyed with him for long. "It's not a big deal, Mamo-chan, I promise. Happens every month," she said, squeezing his hand in reassurance.

Mamoru's confusion deepened. "Every month? Usa, that's odd. Have you seen a doctor about this?"

His lack of understanding grew even more at the amusement that now appeared on Usagi's face. "Uh, no. No, I haven't."

"But Usako, I really think you should. I'm not sure what would cause such a thing on a regular basis like that. Whatever it is, it can't be good."

Usagi laughed outright at his last statement, dissolving into a fit of giggles that lasted for several moments. It ended with her clutching her stomach, as another cramp hit her.

"Oh, Mamo-chan, you can't make me laugh like that!" she smiled at him, when the pain had passed.

It was his turn to grow slightly annoyed. "Usako, this isn't funny. I'm trying to help you and you just-"

"Period?" she interrupted him, making a circling motion around her lower half, since Mamoru apparently needed it _all_ spelled out for him.

Mamoru's mouth hung open at her announcement, not quite sure how to respond, as he felt blood rush to his cheeks, hotter than any other time he could remember. Shifting uncomfortably, he finally managed a lame, "Why didn't you tell me?"

She blushed deeply. "Because it's not exactly something I like to advertise?" she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

He sat still and quiet for a moment, looking blankly at her, only coming out of his reverie when she began to fidget awkwardly at his silence.

"I can help you."

Usagi blinked a few times, as his words sunk in. "You can _help_ me?" she asked incredulously. "No offense, Mamo-chan, but I seriously doubt that."

"No, I can," he replied resolutely. "I mean, I can't heal them, obviously, but I can help."

He moved his hand to hover over her stomach. "May I?"

She nodded back at him with wide eyes, unable to ignore the butterflies that fluttered in her at the anticipation of his touch.

Mamoru placed his hand gingerly on her stomach, focusing, as a warm, golden light began to softly glow beneath his hands.

"M-mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, both amazed and hesitant, but he didn't look up, only continuing to focus more on spreading his power through her.

Usagi felt her eyes begin to grow heavy, as a sweet, numbed sleepiness began to sweep over her, pain long forgotten.

When Mamoru felt her muscles relax, he finally looked up at her. Noticing her eyes drooping, he slowly eased his power away from her, reluctantly breaking contact with her skin.

She blinked deliberately a few times, trying to fight back the sleep, and Mamoru chuckled at her. "Sleep, Usako. It's ok."

A blissful smile lit her face. "Mmm, Mamo-chan, you're like a living, breathing, handsome ibuprofen."

He laughed again, but didn't respond, trying to encourage the nap he'd induced, but she hung on to consciousness. "Mamo-chan?" she asked, somewhat slurred.

"Hmm?" he responded softly, stroking the pad of his thumb across her cheek.

"Can...you take the...soup to Mama? I'd like to...have some later," she managed to get out, while she snuggled deeper into the bed covers.

"Sure, Usako."

"And could you...put the roses in some water...for me?" she asked, gesturing vaguely towards her bookshelf, where the last bunch of roses he'd given her still bloomed bright and full.

"Sure, Usako," he answered, again, beginning to move off the bed, but he stopped when he felt her hand grab his.

Flicking his eyes up to her face, he saw her eyes had become lucid, once more.

"Will you stay with me?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up.

"I'll be right here, the whole time."


	14. Home

_AN: Hello, lovelies! I hope this finds you all happy and well 333 Thank you all so much for your reviews last chapter! You have no idea how much they mean to me, and they really do keep me going!_

 _A HUGE thank you to my darling FloraOne, who just finished her AMAZING, MASSIVE, BRILLIANT epic, Yugen, yesterday. And I'm SO VERY PROUD OF HER! And even though she's officially on a writing break, she still takes the time to beta for me, so that I can keep entertaining (well, hopefully xD) you sweet readers. You're the BEST, love, and I can't tell you how much you mean to me!_

 _Enjoy this one, and let me know what you think 3333_

 _oOo_

 _Usako, I love your hair. It's so gold and shiny and PRETTY._

Usagi blushed as her phone vibrated for the tenth time in half an hour. Each time signaling another text from Mamoru. And every time she felt the buzzing, she began to grow more and more worried.

Not that she didn't love the attention, mind you. But her boyfriend was being so sweet, so lovey-dovey, so very un-Mamoru. And that could only mean one thing.

Trouble.

He was at a small gathering of his bio-med class at a nearby izakaya, and Usagi knew Motoki was there with him, so she shouldn't worry too much, but still…

 _Mamo-chan r u ok?_ she typed back, biting her lip nervously, as she waited for another response, which thankfully came right away.

 _More than fine. I love you, Usa. I love you so, so, SO much._

This one really alarmed her, especially when he finished his declaration of love with every color of heart emoji available to him.

Yes, something was off. Very, very off. And there was no way, she, Tsukino Usagi was just going to let this slide.

Perhaps this was the work of some new enemy? Afterall, Mamoru was often a target from male and female villains alike.

Or, a much more likely scenario, where Motoki had somehow gotten ahold of Mamoru's phone, and was now trying his very best to make Mamoru regret the day he'd been born.

But Usagi couldn't take that risk! If Mamoru was in trouble, she had to help him!

Quickly jumping off her bed, the reincarnated moon princess grabbed a duffle bag, and shoved in a few overnight essentials. She rushed out of her room, and down the hall to the bathroom, when another text came through, the most alarming of any before it.

 _You're the most wonderful person in the world, Usako. You teach me things all the time._

Bounding down the stairs with all the grace of a herd of elephants, Usagi stopped in the kitchen where her mother was reading a magazine and sipping tea.

"Mama, is it ok if I go spend the night at Rei's?" Usagi asked with practiced ease.

Ikuko looked up from her reading, and smiled back at her daughter with a knowing gleam in her eyes that Usagi wouldn't recognize until many years later.

"Of course, dear. You'll do some studying won't you?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

Usagi rolled her eyes for good measure. "Yes, mama."

And it wasn't _technically_ a lie. When Mamoru was involved, it was always cloudy with a chance of studying.

"Alright, go have fun," Ikuko relented, and Usagi skipped over to place a light peck on her mother's cheek.

"Thank you, mama! I'll see you tomorrow!" she called, and bolted from the kitchen and out the front door.

And her pace never slowed, as she sprinted through the streets of Juuban, all manner of possibilities scurrying through her mind about what cruel fate might have befallen her beloved Mamoru.

And when her phone vibrated in her hand, Mamoru now proclaiming how badly he wanted to kiss her _now_ , because she always tasted so _good,_ only caused her speed to rise like that of an olympic athlete.

Usagi's feet only slowed slightly, when she neared the izakaya, and heard loud, boisterous singing, and her eyes fell on the distinctive figures of a tall blonde, and an even taller raven-haired man.

She came to a grinding halt when the synapses in her brain finally allowed her to recognize the two men, drunkenly stumbling on the sidewalk and taking turns singing, 'oh, tell me what you want, what you really, really want,' and 'I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want,' were none other than her boyfriend and her favorite arcade worker.

Mamoru's eyes narrowed when he caught sight of her, squinting to make sure the vision in front of him was real. And when he finally seemed to come to the conclusion that Usagi was, in fact, real, his face light up in one of the most brilliant smiles she'd ever seen.

"Ussssaaaa," he drawled out, leaving the steadying embrace of Motoki, to make his way towards her. "Wha...you're..." he hiccuped, here, "I'm sooooo glad to see you!"

And she soon found herself crushed against him, his face nuzzling her neck like a kitten.

"Mamo…" she squeaked, "can't...breathe!"

Mamoru let go of her instantly, causing Usagi to stumble from the sudden lack of support. But familiar, large hands were soon on her shoulders, giving her balance, as they pressed her against a nearby wall, her duffle bag falling to the ground in the process.

"I'm _soooo_ sorry, Usako," Mamoru said, voice thick with emotion, as his hands began to roam over her, seemingly checking for any wounds he might have inflicted. "Are you ok?!"

A wave of alcohol smell washed over her, the sudden realization that her boyfriend wasn't in the hands of the enemy, but was, instead, incredibly drunk, caused relief to course through her. But the relief was overshadowed by the funny things his roving hands were doing to her insides.

"Hey, Mamoru!" a forgotten Motoki called from a few yards away. "Look! Reika's here!"

Usagi glanced down the sidewalk, and saw a very annoyed looking Reika, dragging Motoki away. But Mamoru paid no attention to his friend, having resumed his nuzzling of Usagi's neck.

"Ok, Mamo-chan," she said, placing her hands on either side of his face, and lifting his head so he was eye level with her. "Let's get you home."

"No!" he cried, suddenly very serious.

Usagi's eyes grew wide at his outburst, her thumbs stroking his cheeks in an effort to calm him. "But, Mamo-chan-"

"I'm already home, Usako," Mamoru said, eyes appearing lucid for the briefest of moments. " _You're_ my home."

Usagi found herself unable to breathe at his words, a warmth spreading through her like she'd never experienced.

 _You're my home._

When she finally found air and words, she breathed out, "Oh, Mamo-chan…"

Mamoru leaned his forehead against hers, and whispered, "I love you, Usako. God, I love you so much."

A watery smile met his gaze. "I love you, too, Mamo-chan."

Mamoru's eyes grew mischievous.

"You know what else I love?" he whispered, as if he were talking to a fellow conspirator.

"What's that?"

"KARAOKE!" he yelled, pumping his fist into the air.

Usagi was frozen momentarily at his outburst, quite unsure what to do with this ridiculous man in front of her, until she remembered his drunken state.

Sighing in exasperation, she picked up her duffle, and grabbed one of Mamoru's arms. "Alright, Scary Spice, let's get you back to your apartment."

The couple stumbled all the way through the five blocks to Mamoru's apartment, while Usagi tried her best to keep her soulmate at least somewhat subdued.

She had taken care of many a child during her fourteen years, but somehow, a drunk, eighteen year old, medical student was so, _so_ much worse.

When they finally managed to make it up the five flights of the elevator, down the hallway, and into the apartment, Mamoru managed to remove his shoes, before he leaned against the wall wearily.

Once Usagi had placed her bag down, and gotten her sneakers off, she walked over to him, and placed a hand on his arm.

Mamoru opened his eyes, and smiled sleepily, pulling her into a loose embrace with his head resting between her odango.

"Ready for bed?" she asked, bending her head back to look up at him.

Their eyes met, then, and she found that their lips were millimeters apart.

Oh, how badly she wanted to kiss him, make those crazy, overwhelming butterflies she'd had earlier return with a vengeance.

But a powerful scent of sake and sushi hit her nose, and she remembered why she was here in the first place.

Usagi gently extricated herself from his arms, smiling at the pitiful whimper he made, and she leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek, instead.

"Alright, Mamo-chan, time for bed," she said gently, taking his arm and leading him towards the bedroom.

He set himself down on the bed, running hands through his already tousled hair.

"Do you think you can get your pajamas on by yourself?" Usagi asked, running soothing hands across his forehead.

He nodded without saying a word.

"I'll be right back, ok? I'll just be in the bathroom for a minute," she told him, suppressing a giggle when he nodded wordlessly again.

She quickly grabbed her bag, and changed in the bathroom, brushing her teeth furiously, and deciding to leave her hair up. She'd face the consequences in the morning.

When she was finished, she took a moment to take in her reflection, eyes growing wide as she realized she was about to spend the night with her boyfriend.

Alone.

For the very first time.

Of course, Mamoru was so drunk, he would likely miss the big event entirely.

But...that also meant she might be able to get away with a thing or two...

Usagi touched her hands to her face, feeling the blush that she saw in the mirror.

Shaking her head, she cleared her nefarious thoughts, realizing that any advances she made that night would only be taking advantage of Mamoru.

But she was still _nervous_. This was a huge deal, after all.

Her eyes fell on the brooch that had fallen out of her bag.

She was being silly! She had single-handedly saved the world. _Twice!_ There was no reason she couldn't be an adult about this.

Taking a deep breath in, she straightened her posture, and walked out of the bathroom with a brand new resolve.

When she reached Mamoru's bedroom, she was surprised to find the lamp light still shining, until her eyes fell on the bed.

He was curled up under the blankets, apparently clad only in his boxers, as she could see his bare chest, fast asleep.

The heat returned to her face at the sight of his naked chest, but when she studied his face, and how childlike he appeared, so completely unguarded in sleep, desire flew out the window, only to be replaced with an overwhelming feeling of love.

Usagi padded over towards the bed, attempting to not jostle the mattress too much, when she crawled in, but when she turned back towards him, she realized her efforts had been in vain, as two, deep blue eyes stared back at her.

For a moment, she was worried he would come to his senses and force her to leave, but he closed his eyes, once more, pulled her into his arms, and muttered, "Will you stay with me?" against her neck.

And she smiled, the answer coming to her without a thought, as she snuggled further into his embrace.

"I'll be right here."


	15. Control

_AN: Hi there, lovelies! I'm so sorry about the wait on this chapter! I know it's been nearly two months since the last one, so to thank you for your patience, here's a little UsaMamo sexy time for you. But nothing too crazy! They're still babies after all xD_

 _A huge thank you to my darling, lovely, amazing, and every other wonderful adjective you can use to describe a person, beta FloraOne. She keeps me sane, and honest and writing, so I owe her A LOT 333 love you, boo!_

 _I hope you enjoy, and pleassseee let me know what you think?!_

 _oOo_

He awoke in a sea of golden sunlight, the sweet smell of vanilla wafting through the air. It took Mamoru a moment to realize what exactly was weighing his arms down, and when he opened bleary eyes, a smile lit his face.

Mamoru instantly knew that he wasn't awake, upon seeing Usagi in his arms. No, this had to be a dream if she was in his bed. And it wasn't Usagi lying next to him, but Serenity.

He'd been having these dreams nearly every night since Usagi had come back into his life, and he both dreaded and looked forward to them.

Because in these dreams, or memories, he could be with his love in every way he'd ever wanted. There was no holding back due to societal pressures, no questions about it being the 'right' time.

Every time was right when he was here with Serenity.

And so, he did what he so often did in dreams with her. Pulling her sleeping form flush against him, nibbling her earlobe, and kissing down her long, expansive neck.

The princess slowly opened her eyes, frowning when the bright sunlight came into her view. But her frown quickly changed, when she felt his caresses against her skin.

She turned over in his arms, sighing dreamily. "Good morning," she said softly, her lilting voice like a song to his ears. He paid little attention to the fact that the trademark of her family was missing from her forehead, as she so often hid it when she descended to Earth. "How are you feeling?"

He leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips. "Never better."

She smiled at him with so much love in her eyes, that he just couldn't help himself.

So, he kissed her again, slow and searing, in a way he hadn't yet dared to with the Serenity of his time.

She responded as she always did, with a contented sigh, and an enthusiasm that made him smile, gently pulling on his lower lip in a way that made him growl in the back of his throat.

He rolled over onto his back, taking her with him, so that she straddled his midsection. There was a momentary surprise on her face, before she recovered and her boldness grew, as she ground her hips against him, both of their heads falling back at the exquisiteness of it all.

And he knew, without a doubt, that she could feel his reaction to her, as he grew harder by the second while she squirmed against him. Through hooded eyes, he noticed her nightclothes weren't what they usually were. In fact, they looked much more like something his Usagi would wear, instead of Serenity, but who was he to question a dream? Especially one that made him feel so goddamn _good_.

He couldn't stand to not have his mouth moving against hers any longer. Her movements were far too distracting, and her little mewls of pleasure everytime she rubbed against him, made shivers run down his spine.

Sitting up, he crushed her to him, a devious smile forming on his lips, when she immediately opened her mouth, her tongue tracing along the bottom of his teeth in the most erotic way…

Pulling away from her, he nipped at her breast through the fabric that covered her, delighting in the feel of her hands grasping the back of his head.

"Mamo-chan…" she groaned out, moving against his hardness even faster than before.

And he stilled immediately at the sound of the name, warning bells ringing in his ears.

Serenity didn't call him that. _Usagi_ called him that.

 _Shit._

And in the blink of an eye, Mamoru had unceremoniously dumped Usagi onto the bed, and exited it with a speed that could only belong to a rose throwing, caped crusader.

"Usagi!" he yelled, grabbing a pillow to cover the tent his erection had created in his boxers. "Wh-what...why?!"

Usagi looked at him with a stunned expression, seemingly still trying to recover from the sudden loss of contact. She blushed brightly, and gave him a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. "Well, you see, Mamo-chan-"

"Usa, I almost...we could have…" he stammered, as his brain sped in any number of directions. But one horrifying thought stuck in the forefront of his mind.

He couldn't remember anything about what had happened the night before.

Looking at her form on his bed, the sheets rumpled as if they'd been well slept in, and possibly more, he couldn't get the image out of his mind of himself between her legs. And it both excited him and horrified him.

Mamoru slid down the wall of his bedroom, the pillow still covering him when he finally reached the floor, hands buried in his hair as he hung his head.

"Usako, what...what happened last night?" he asked without looking up at her, afraid what he might find there in her eyes.

"I...I found you after your party," she replied, voice unsure and unusually quiet. "You were drunk, so I got you back here, and I couldn't just _leave_ you like that Mamo-chan!" she tried to reason with him. "You were so out of it, and you asked me to stay, so…"

"So?" he asked hesitantly.

"You fell asleep right after I got you into bed."

Mamoru exhaled a huge breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, praising any god who might have ever existed that he hadn't done something the night before that he, or worse, Usagi, would instantly regret.

"Mamo-chan, I promise you asked me to stay!" Usagi pleaded, assuming his frustration was at the fact that she'd spent the night.

He finally raised his head, and looked her in the eye, his face softening slightly. "Usa, I wasn't upset about you staying."

"Then what…?" she trailed off, as her eyes traveled down to the pillow her boyfriend was still clutching in his lap, realization dawning on her face.

"You were worried we'd had sex, weren't you?!" she cried, her usual volume returning to her, as her face lit up.

Mamoru groaned and put his head into his hands, once again. "Usako, you're not supposed to be _excited_ about that fact."

"You were pretty _excited_ about it a few minutes ago," she quipped back, a little too quickly for his liking.

"Usako!"

But she simply giggled, a sound that confused him, as he was fairly certain they were headed down a dangerous path to an argument.

Usagi climbed off the bed, and sat down next to him on the floor, her fingers playing with the dark strands of his hair in the most comforting way, he almost felt like falling asleep at her touch.

"Don't worry, Mamo-chan," she said, her voice light, and he looked up at her with confusion. "We're not ready. Yet. But it's nice to know that everything works like it should for when we are, right?"

An uncharacteristic snort let him at her thought process. "Yes, I suppose it can't hurt to check that every now and then."

She beamed at him, before her face turned hopeful and mischievous all at once . "Say, Mamo-chan, you said you weren't upset about me staying the night. Does that mean I can stay more often?"

Mamoru looked up at the ceiling, and let his head bang back against the wall behind him. "Usa, I'm not sure that's the best idea-"

"But, Mamo-chaaaaan!" she whined back, pulling on his arm. "Why not?"

He looked down at her, not moving his head from the wall. "Where do your parents think you are right now?"

"Rei's," she answered nonchalantly.

"And you're ok with that?"

She sighed, and laid her head down on his shoulder. "I don't like lying to my parents, no. But no one _gets_ us, Mamo-chan. We're not like other people."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow at her, so she went on. "I mean yeah, you're my boyfriend and everything, but you're so much more than that, you know?"

He did know. All too well.

Leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "I know, Usako. Believe me, I do."

Usagi's eyes brightened to a level he wasn't aware they could reach. "So, I can stay over then?!"

He sighed in willing defeat. "Yes, you can. _Occasionally_."

And he was instantly tackled into one of Usagi's infamous bear hugs. "Thank you, Mamo-chan! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Mamoru chuckled at her enthusiasm. "You don't need to thank me, Usako. It's a mutual decision."

They fell into a comfortable silence, there, on the floor of his bedroom. He was more than content to lay his head on top of hers, and enjoy the feeling of her fingers tracing random patterns onto his arms.

"So, how about three nights a week?" Usagi finally asked when he had almost fallen asleep next to her.

But her words managed to filter through to the working part of his brain, and he sat straight up, and inched away from her slightly.

"No, Usako."

And he simply rolled his eyes, as she launched into her pleas and tears, steeling himself for the battle to come.

The slight grip he had over his hormones was slipping, he knew, but he was determined to maintain control when it came to the amount of torture he subjected them to.


	16. Loneliness

_AN: there's notes down at the bottom, so get to reading why don't you! ;)_

 _oOo_

He walked through the sliding, glass doors as the familiar bell announcing his presence rang above him.

Waving his usual greeting to Motoki, Mamoru scanned the tables around him, for that familiar shock of hair belonging to his girlfriend. But she was nowhere to be seen.

He sighed to himself, knowing Usagi was probably stuck in detention, and it would likely be another half hour before he got to see her.

Not feeling up to Motoki's cheerful chatter, Mamoru was pleased when he spotted a blue-haired girl, reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose that was buried in a book thicker than most he'd ever seen.

"Hello, Ami," he said quietly, when he reached the booth she was occupying.

Ami Mizuno jumped visibly at the sound of someone addressing her by name, causing the book she held to fall to the table with a reverberating thud. She looked up, startled before blushing deeply in embarrassment when she noticed who had greeted her.

"Mamoru-san! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there," she got out in a semi-squeak.

He chuckled at her response to him. "No, need to apologize, Ami. I'm all too aware of the effects quantum physics can have on a person," he said, pointing to the now forgotten book, and winking at her, as he sat down in the adjacent booth.

She blushed furiously, again, while she pushed her glasses back into their proper place on the bridge of her nose.

"So, I take it Usako got detention, today?" he asked, after his usual cup of coffee had been set in front of him within seconds. (He had to admit, there certainly were perks to being best friends with the proprietor's son.)

Ami cleared her throat. "Uh, well, no. Not exactly."

He raised an eyebrow, concern not quite overwhelming him, yet. If she'd been hurt or in trouble he would have felt it, he soothed himself.

"Is everything alright?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as he could.

"Oh, yes, she's fine," Ami answered, and Mamoru felt his shoulders relax. "Naru and Umino had a disagreement, and of course Usagi couldn't let that stand." She shrugged, and Mamoru could tell the thought of intruding into the lives of others certainly wasn't high on her priority list.

He smiled in spite of himself and shook his head. "I often wonder how many people realize just what it means to have Tsukino Usagi in their lives."

Confusion crept into her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what was your life like before Usako came barrelling into it?" he asked, a knowing smirk on his lips.

Ami took a sip of her water. It was a practiced move he knew all too well. Give yourself something to do, so you have more time to think of the correct answer.

When she sat back, there was a thoughtful look about her. "Quieter certainly. Less colorful, no doubt."

Mamoru laughed outright at her answer, and he was pleasantly surprised when Ami smiled and even giggled a little herself.

"But," she continued after composing herself, once more, a sweet smile on her face. "I have to admit, I wouldn't want to go back to what my life was like before Usagi. She changed everything. For all of us."

And in a very un-Mamoru like move, a move he never would have considered if that bubbly, blonde bundle of joy hadn't collided into his life, he reached his hand across the table and covered Ami's with it.

"Me either, Ami-chan."

The blush and fluster from before were back in full force on her, as he pulled his hand back to rest on his coffee cup.

He heard the ding from the doors behind him, but this time, his heart rose as he felt Usagi enter the bustling arcade.

"Mamo-chan! Ami-chan!" she yelled cheerfully, bouncing over towards them.

When she reached them, Mamoru couldn't help but notice the beautiful flush to her cheeks, the bright blue of her eyes, or how her hair was slightly askew from running in the wind.

God, she was beautiful.

"I'm so sorry, I'm late, I-" she began, stopping abruptly when her eyes fell fully on Ami.

"Ami-chan, I love your glasses! Why don't you wear them more often?! You look so lovely!" she gushed, leaning down to give Ami a tight squeeze.

Mamoru held back a laugh at the young genius' shock, her body momentarily stiffening at the sudden contact. But just as quickly as the shock had come, it was gone, and replaced with a bright smile, and another blush, yet again.

And before Usagi gave Ami a chance to answer, she had let go of her friend, and jumped into the seat Mamoru was in. Hugging him tightly around the middle, and settling into her usual spot at his side.

She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Mamo-chan," she whispered to him.

He leaned down and touched his nose to hers. "Hi, Usako," he whispered back, winking.

After a brilliant smile up at him, Usagi returned her attention back to Ami, and began regaling the poor girl about her exploits with Naru and Umino.

Mamoru pulled Usagi more tightly into his side, his arm coming to rest on her waist, and as he watched her animated form tell countless stories of her day, a sudden, warm thought filled him.

How lucky he and Ami were to have had their loneliness chased away by one, Tsukino Usagi.

 _AN: This drabble is dedicated to my 'loneliness chaser' and beta, FloraOne. You came into my life in such a random, fantastical way, and even though you claim you're just 'there' for me, you have no idea what that simple act means. I love you, and I'm beyond grateful for your friendship!_

 _Thank you all so much for reading, please reach out and be someone's Usagi, and of course, let me know what you thought!_


	17. Reading

_AN: Hi there, darlings! I hope this finds you all well! Thank you all so much for your reviews on this fic 333 it's honestly been my favorite to write, so any little word on it means the world to me._

 _A huge thank you to my beta FloraOne. She puts up with my poutiness without batting an eye, and I love her so, so dearly for that! (and lots of other reasons, too xD!)_

 _I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

"Hey, Mamo-chan, what's this?"

Mamoru turned around from his place at the kitchen counter where he'd been preparing tea for them, and in Usagi's hands, he noticed an old, worn book with an ornate cover, and an English title.

Pride and Prejudice.

He blushed a bright red, stuttering as he tried to come up with an excuse for why he had a copy of such a thing. "Uhh...well, that's just a...a book I've had lying around for awhile."

Usagi raised an eyebrow at him, a toothy smile on her face. "Pride and Prejudice? Isn't that like a cheesy, romance book?"

"No!" he practically shouted in defence of himself, causing Usagi to look at him in as if he'd grown two heads. "Well, I mean, of course it's not. It's a...literary classic, Usa," he supplied, trying to cover up his outburst.

"Uh, huh," she replied skeptically. "But it _is_ a love story, isn't it?"

"What difference does that make?" he countered with a slight roll of his eyes.

Usagi huffed and pouted slightly. "You don't read love stories, Mamo-chan! I mean how many times have I heard you call my manga, 'useless drivel'? And by the way, I looked up what that means, and I'm officially offended by it."

Mamoru couldn't help the chuckle he let out at her protests. "Usako, just because I don't read manga, doesn't mean I've never read a love story."

"Well, it's the first I've heard of it," she said, the book still clutched in her hands, as she placed them on her hips in a defiant stance.

"Alright, alright, fair enough," he conceded, holding his hands up, as if in surrender. "I _don't_ read that many. But that particular one," he pointed at the book she was holding, "has always stuck with me for some reason."

She cocked her head to the side, eyeing him strangely. "Why?"

Leaning back against the counter, he turned his gaze down towards his feet, another blush creeping up his face. "Because it reminds me of...of us," he told her quietly.

Even though he wasn't looking at her, Mamoru could feel Usagi smile. "Aww, Mamo-chan! A love story reminds you of us?"

Goodness the tile patterns on the floor were suddenly very interesting.

"...yes."

Usagi sighed dreamily, and he chanced a look back up at her. She looked so beautiful and natural standing there in his kitchen…

"What reminds you of us?" she asked, shaking him from the near trance her appearance had put him in.

Mamoru smiled nervously, running a hand through his hair. Usagi giggled at the gesture. She apparently found it adorable when he was flustered.

"The main characters remind me of you and I, especially when we first met," he explained, but when she looked confused, he went on. "They dislike each other, or at least, they think they do, and so their relationship is very tumultuous."

Usagi smiled slightly. "I can't imagine why that would remind you of us," she replied sheepishly, running her feet over the cracks in the tile floor.

"Sure you don't," he said smirking and winking at her, when he caught her eye. He did so love to see her blush.

Usagi appeared to be in deep thought. "So...I'm guessing that one is pride and the other is prejudice?"

"Very astute, Odango Atama," he said, smiling wider.

"Who is who, then?"

"Well, one could make arguments either way, but generally, Elizabeth, the main character, is considered the prejudice-"

"No, no, not them!" she interrupted. "I mean between you and me."

His hand flew back instinctually to his hair, and he laughed uncomfortably. "I'm going to refrain from answering that on account of the fact that I'd like to live to see our children, someday."

A grin broke out on her face. "Coward," she mumbled, sticking her tongue out at him.

They stood smiling at each other for a few moments, until the silence was broken, as it so often was by Usagi. "Could I...borrow this?" she asked, holding the book up to him.

"I don't know, Odango. Think you can handle all those pictureless pages?" he teased, winking once again.

" _Mamo-chaannnn!_ "

Mamoru laughed outright. "Of course you can, Usako. What's mine is yours."

She beamed at him, and skipped back into the living room.

He turned back to the counter, and picked up the now cooling tea cups, following her on graceful legs to the couch.

But when he saw her, already sprawled out over the entirety of the plush cushions, her face was drawn into a deep frown.

"Uh, Mamo-chan?" she said shakily. "There's just one, little problem with this book."

Setting the teacups down on the coffee table, he moved towards her, lifting her legs so he could sit on the couch with her, before placing them back down across him.

"What's that?"

"It's in _English_ ," she whined with a disgusted face.

"Oh, the _horror_ ," he replied with an affectionate eye roll, and he was rewarded with a kick.

 _Should've picked the other end of the couch, Chiba…_

"That's alright, Usako," he told her, while rubbing a hand over his sore ribs. "We can just watch the movie."

Usagi sat straight up, fixing him with an accusing glare. "There's a _movie?!_ Why the heck have we been talking about reading?!"


	18. Lavender

_AN: Hello, darlings! I hope this finds you all well and happy and loved and content!_

 _My usual bowing down in thanks to FloraOne, who took the time to read this on her commute home after a ridiculously long day. It never fails to give me the feels how dedicated she is beta'ing the HECK out of anything and everything I send her, no matter the hour or what she has going on in her life._

 _I hope you all enjoy, and please let me know what you think! 333_

 _oOo_

Chiba Mamoru walked hand in hand with his petite girlfriend down the streets of Juuban one late fall evening. The air around them was brisk and chilly, and Usagi, bundled up in a number of layers, including an old sweatshirt of his, was having a marvelous time puffing out her breath so she could see it fog in the air.

Amazement filled his conscience at how he never tired of her, even in moments like this, where she was being silly simply to amuse herself, and he found himself laughing along with her, and denying his innermost desires to hold and kiss her right there on the street, societal values and expectations be damned.

He also adored watching her press her nose against nearly every shop window they passed. Usagi never asked for anything, content to admire the displays and sigh wistfully, and of course, Mamoru had to chuckle at her every time, love surging through his veins.

This was one of the things he loved most about her. Usagi took joy in everything, appreciated everything, but she never forgot to take everyone along the ride with her, simply not accepting that anyone be any less happy than she was at any given moment.

But Mamoru was surprised when he felt her hand tugging at his arm, not even waiting for a response while she dragged him into a small floral shop, having not expected to actually visit any stores.

The rabbit beelined herself back towards what appeared to be a very specific point, leaving Mamoru to mumble out greetings to the shop worker who looked rather bemused at Usagi's behavior.

"Usako, what are you doing?" he asked, when he found her bent over a large bunch of purple flowers.

She breathed in deeply, eyes closed from apparent bliss. "Lavender, Mamo-chan," she said, pointing to the shelf in front of her.

He eyed her strangely, not understanding why she appeared to think that her simple statement had answered everything. "...ok..?"

Usagi turned around from inhaling the lavender's scent, hands on her hips in annoyed stance. "Lavender," she repeated. "As in my favorite scent, _and_ my favorite color."

Mamoru frowned at this, albeit small, but also huge, bit of information. "Wait...what?" he asked in confusion. "I thought pink was your favorite color."

He blanched when her face fell, and she marched up to him, craning her neck back to look up at him. "And why would you think that, Mamoru-baka? Because I'm a _girl_?"

His hands flew up in defense, eyes growing wide at her accusations. "What?! N-no, of course not!"

"Then _why_ would you just assume my favorite color is pink?"

He dropped his hands, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you _met_ you?"

Usagi's hands were back at her hips, and she opened her mouth to retort, but Mamoru kept on. "It's not like we've ever talked in depth about what our favorite colors are. I can only glean so much from simply observing you. And besides, I'd bet you a week's worth of sundaes at Crown that you don't know my favorite color either."

"Red," she replied matter of factly, without skipping a beat.

' _Shit'_ was quickly becoming part of his inner voice's daily vernacular.

"Lucky guess," he replied after a brief moment with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, looking around, and catching the eye of the cashier, who quickly looked away and pretended to be busy.

" _Uh, huhhhh,_ " she drawled out, a knowing smirk on her face. "Didn't you ever wonder why your future self was wearing a lavender suit, when we were in Crystal Tokyo?" she whispered low to avoiding being overheard, and Mamoru paled at the mention of King Endymion's wardrobe choices.

"Too many head injuries?" he replied, a tinge of hope in his voice, but the look she responded with gave him all the answer he needed.

"No, baka. It's because _I_ love lavender, and thankfully, your future self has enough sense to wear something I like."

Mamoru snorted derisively. "Yes, and he also sent me horrific dreams of you dying, night after night." He did nothing to hide the contempt in his voice at the idiocy of it all.

But Usagi waved him off, with a flick of her hand, replying with a haughty, "Details!" apparently having already moved on, as she grabbed his hand, dragging him out of the store.

"Uh, Usako?" he asked after she had hauled him halfway down the street. "Where are we going?"

She stopped abruptly, nearly causing him to topple the both of them to the concrete pavement below. "You are going to buy me a _whole lot of food_ , and then we're going to learn _everything_ there is to know about each other!"

Mamoru stood on the sidewalk gaping at her, but the young blonde had no patience for his thought processing. "Come on, Mamo-chan! We haven't got all night!"

She grabbed hold of him once more, not even giving her boyfriend and soulmate the chance to remind her of her already established plan to sleep over at his apartment that very night.


	19. Destiny

_AN: I know. It's been awhile. But I'm here, now, so that counts for something, right?_

 _Thanks, as always, to my beta FloraOne for all her help, enthusiasm and ideas. I seriously wouldn't still be writing these ridiculous fluff pieces today if it weren't for her._

 _Look for the next chapter of Slippery Tropes to come out soon, and please let me know what you thought of this? I'm hoping it might fill a gap in canon that has been bothering a lot of us for a loonnnggg time 333_

 _oOo_

Mamoru lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the bright, but cold December sun, as he looked up the seemingly endless steps that led to the Hikawa Shrine.

Sighing, he began to climb, while he silently prayed Usagi would already have arrived, and knowing full well she hadn't.

It was time for the senshi's weekly meeting to discuss the latest goings on of whatever enemy (or lack there of, in this case) happened to be on the scene. Of course, it usually just turned into a gossip session for Minako and Usagi, while Rei rolled her eyes, Ami buried her nose behind a book, and Makoto kept pushing endless supplies of sweets into Usagi's eager stomach.

He'd been able to miss nearly all of these meetings, by the grace of god, having had a class scheduled right in the middle of the time block reserved for the gatherings. But today, when his class was cancelled, Mamoru had made the mistake of texting his exuberant girlfriend, and she subsequently begged and pleaded for him to come.

 _Plz come Mamo-chan! I miss u and it's almost exam time :(_

And how was he possibly equipped to say no, when she used sad faces such as that? Especially when he could vividly picture her pouting face as she typed him the message.

It wasn't as if he really minded attending the meetings. He loved being around Usagi, and enjoyed the company of the girls, as well. They overwhelmed him at times, sure, but as long as Usagi was there, he could cope decently enough. And while he was completely comfortable spending time around Ami and Makoto without his girlfriend there, Minako and Rei were a different story altogether.

The looks Minako would give him _every time_ she was around, as if she knew every sordid detail of his and Usagi's relationship (which he was fairly certain she did) unnerved him. And Rei...well, it wasn't so much the fact that he didn't _like_ her. He couldn't help but admire her spirit, and she was a beautiful girl, but he'd always felt incredibly awkward around her since he'd gained his memories back.

They had 'dated.' A term he used loosely, as they had never _really_ defined what they were, but they had certainly gone on dates, and he knew that Rei had been rather smitten with him.

And now, he was happier than he'd ever been with Usagi. Finally feeling like his life was heading down a path he'd never allowed himself to dream it could go, but there was a part of him that still felt uneasy about what had happened between Rei and him.

Not that he still harbored any feelings for the priestess. Mamoru wasn't sure he'd ever had any feelings for Rei, other than a fond friendship, to begin with. But he supposed he'd have to learn to live with the unresolved feelings, since Rei didn't seem to want to bring it up, and he was never one to make others feel uncomfortable, unless you counted odangoed, bubbly blondes who made your stomach flip in ways that you weren't used to (thankfully, he'd managed to move past that one.)

He mounted the last of the stairs, embarrassed to admit he was slightly out of breath after the hike, and he saw Rei there, sweeping in her usual red and white miko robes.

She paused when she saw him, a slight smile making its way onto her face as she waved in greeting, and Mamoru smiled back, removing one hand from his pocket to return her wave.

He glanced around the area, his heart falling a little when there was no sign of Usagi or any of the other girls there, yet. "I take it Usako isn't here yet?"

Rei scoffed in her usual way. "You're kidding, right? You don't honestly expect that baka to be on time do you?"

There was no denying she was right. Well, except for the, 'baka' part, of course. Mamoru felt he had the corner on that market. "Well..uh-"

She smiled genuinely, when his discomfort became painfully obvious. "Come on, Romeo. I'll make you some tea while you wait."

He followed her inside, slipping off his shoes just before he entered Rei's large, open room. She had a fire burning to keep the space warm, and Mamoru gingerly placed himself on one of the large cushions that surrounded the table while Rei busied herself with making tea.

"So, I suppose you know that Usagi managed to pass her English class this semester?" Rei asked as she sat down across from him, her ivory hands pouring hot liquid into cups.

Mamoru smiled. "Yes, I'm really proud of her," he replied reaching out to take his drink. "Although, the amount of study sessions she would have needed probably could have been cut in half if she'd been able to focus for more than half an hour."

Rei snickered into her tea. "What, was she too busy fawning over the size of your…" she paused to look him up and down, "...biceps or something?"

He nearly choked on his drink, coughing a bit, before managing to blush and sputter out, "Something like that…"

The priestess was quiet for a few moments, before she spoke, again, her voice thoughtful and serious. "She's really happy, you know."

Relief and shame all at once rushed through him. Mamoru was always elated to hear that Usagi was really, truly happy. But his worry about Rei's feelings, and how he might have somehow contributed to her unhappiness ate at him. Not that it kept him up at night, but when he was sitting here with her right in front of him, it was difficult to ignore.

"And are you?" he asked, clarifying when she gave him a funny look, "Happy that is."

"What do you mean, exactly?" she asked with a slight edge in her voice, as she eyed him warily over her tea cup.

Mamoru had a feeling the fire senshi knew exactly what he was talking about, and perhaps, taking a page from Minako's book, simply wanted to see him squirm a bit. Not that he didn't deserve it mind you.

"Well, I...you know, how we...well," he stumbled, worried he'd never get anything coherent out.

Rei laughed at his response. "Oh, come on, Mamoru. We're not really going to go _there,_ are we?"

"You don't think we need to talk about this?" he asked incredulously. "About the fact that you and I.." he looked around nervously before whispering, "... _dated._ "

She shrugged her shoulders with a nonchalance he envied. "If you really want to call it that, sure."

Tracing the rim of his cup with one, long finger. "Listen, Rei. I just feel like I need to apologize to you," he said, avoiding her eyes. "I never wanted for you to get mixed up in all this."

Rei took a long sip of her tea, before setting her cup down and gazing at him thoughtfully. "Mamoru, you're sweet and all for worrying about this, but I knew whatever it was we had was over the moment I saw you practically dead from jumping in front of a crystal to save Usagi."

He flinched at the memory of bright lights, feelings of terror, awe and overwhelming pain. "But-"

Mamoru stopped short when he saw her eyes roll in annoyance, and her voice sounded slightly exasperated when she spoke. "You know, you're pretty and all, but you're kind of dense sometimes."

A nervous hand raked through his hair, and a sigh escaped his lips. He'd never felt comfortable with anyone talking about his physical appearance.

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish smile. "Sometimes my snark gets the better of me."

They both took another sip of tea, an awkward silence stretching between them before Rei finally spoke, again. "Can I be brutally honest with you?"

"If I say no, will it stop you?"

She appeared thoughtful for a moment, before her normal, mischievous smirk returned. "No."

"Didn't think so," he said, smiling. "Go on, then."

"I like you, Mamoru. You're a good guy. To a fault, even," she said, and he felt his cheeks warm a bit. "But it was more about the chase for me than anything else. Not that I would have admitted it to myself at the time, but you were a cute, college guy, and it drove Usagi mad. And I think, if you're brutally honest, you'd say the same about me. I was a pretty girl, and it drove Usagi mad."

Relief flooded through him, and he was grateful that Rei was stronger than him emotionally. That she was able to admit to things he would rather have buried deep and never allowed to resurface.

"It was a flirtation, you and me. You and Usagi are…" she trailed off, trying to find the right word, "...destiny."

He smiled at her, but shook his head. Perhaps it was, 'destiny' that brought him and Usagi together, but he didn't like the word. Because no matter what it was that drew him to Usagi in any of her various incarnations, he always had and always would choose her, over and over and over again.

"It's so much more than that, though," he said quietly, meeting, and holding, Rei's gaze for the first time since they sat down.

"Oh, I know," she replied. "It's just difficult to find one word for soul-bonded, reincarnated, star-crossed lover, miracle romance royalty, who _finally_ get to be together."

Mamoru chuckled at her, and held his hands up in defeat. "Fair enough."

A silence fell over them, once more, but it was comfortable this time, as an air of resolution finally hung between them.

It was Mamoru who finally spoke after a time. "So…" he began, "are we...good, now?"

Rei rolled her eyes with exasperation, but much more affectionately this time. "Yes, baka. We're good."

A genuine smile broke on his face. "Thank you, Rei."

She nodded her head once in acknowledgement, but before either of them could continue their conversation, the shrine doors burst open, and a haggard (but still somehow put together looking) Minako appeared.

"Rei! You'll _never_ guess…" she trailed off when she noticed an intruder in her midst. "Ew, Mamoru, what are _you_ doing here?"

He sighed, and downed the rest of his tea in one swig. "So nice to see you, too, Minako."

But she completely ignored him, plopping herself down next to Rei, and chattering on as if her life depended on it.

 _Oh, well,_ he thought to himself. Being comfortable with three out of four of Usagi's closest friends wasn't bad.


	20. Moonlight

_AN: I'm baaaaaaack! Did you miss me?! Did you? Did you?!_

 _My darling Flora is back from her 3 week jaunt to Japan (THANK GOD) so I'm back to writing, again! A huge thank you to her for taking the time to beta this for me, and for the encouragement to get back on the writing horse after nearly a month away. You're the best 333_

 _I hope you enjoy this latest drabble, and please let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru stepped out of Keio's library into a bitter, January night. He sighed in exhaustion, knowing full well he had a long night of studying ahead of him, despite the fact that he'd just finished a marathon study group.

Glancing up into the sky, he noticed the moon was full but its light was significantly dimmed from what he knew it to be, which made his breath catch in a moment of fear. But this feeling quickly dissipated when his eyes fell on what was waiting for him just a few feet away.

Usagi stood at the bottom of the library steps, bundled in numerous layers, her luminous blue eyes just visible above her scarf were glaring daggers at him, and he could feel the anger coming off of her in waves. She stood with her hands on her hips, her right foot tapping away impatiently at the ground, and he could see what appeared to be a somewhat crumpled paper in her hand.

He jogged down the steps, making his way towards her, while trying to keep his demeanor cool. "Fancy meeting you here, Odango Atama," he said, unable to resist giving her a smirk he knew would rile her up even more.

"Don't you, 'Odango Atama,' me, mister!" she seethed none too quietly, after pulling down her scarf to expose the entirety of her face.

"Usako-" he started with slight exasperation in his voice, taking another step towards her, but stopping dead in his tracks when she moved back, her eyes narrowing even further.

And before he knew it a tabloid paper was being shoved in his face, while Usagi practically screeched, "Would you like to explain this to me, _Mamoru-baka?"_

Mamoru snatched the paper from her grasp, his eyes fighting to adjust to the words on the page in the darkness. What he could make out very clearly, was a photo of him (well, it was of Tuxedo Mask, but still him all the same) and a young, fairly attractive college girl was clinging to him rather tightly.

He squinted his eyes, studying the photo even further, noticing how the girl he was holding seemed to gaze at him with a little too much adoration in her eyes, as she pressed herself into his hold. But what caught his eye most of all was the clothes the girl was wearing. Shorts and a t-shirt.

A small chuckle left him before he could even think to stop it, but he immediately knew it had been the wrong move.

"What's so funny?!" Usagi demanded, annoyance now added to the anger in her voice.

The smirk fell from his face when he noticed how red her face was and clearly not from the cold. Glancing back down at the paper in his hand, he realized the moonlight had grown even dimmer, making it nearly impossible to make out the small letters of the article.

"Did you even read the headline?!" she went on, grabbing the paper back from him, and pointing wildly to the letters above the photo he'd been studying. "'Trouble in Paradise? Tuxedo Mask Dumps Sailor Moon for Rescued Coed!'"

He winced as the decibels of her voice grew. "Usako, if you'd calm down for just a sec-"

Making wrong moves was apparently the only thing he was capable of running on so little caffeine. " _Calm down?!"_

"Usa, that picture was taken ages ago!"

She scoffed at him, her lower lip beginning to quiver. "How do you figure?"

Mamoru took in a deep breath. "Well, for starters, we haven't even fought a battle in _months_ ," he said, enjoying the way her eyes went wide in realization, "and secondly, it's the middle of January. How many coeds do you know that run around in that kind of outfit _in January?_ "

Usagi opened her mouth to retort, but closed it quickly when it became clear his reasoning actually made sense. She blushed a bright red, and Mamoru hoped it would be the end of her anger, but the brightening of the moonlight had yet to come, so he steeled himself for more.

And Usagi was never one to disappoint him. "Yeah, well…" she said, hands back on her hips. "...I still don't like the way she's pressed against you!"

He smiled at her softly, moving towards her, pleased that she didn't step away like she had before. "I understand."

"And the way she's looking at you makes it seem like she knows you pretty dang well!" she went on, as he moved his hands to her face, his thumbs rubbing her cheeks.

"That is rather unfortunate," he whispered, moving his face closer to hers.

Usagi faltered a bit in her speech when his proximity to her finally registered. "How..." she started, pausing to swallow visibly, "how am I supposed to just be ok with women throwing themselves at you all the-"

Mamoru knew that cutting her off like that with a kiss was, in many ways, akin to cheating, and he really tried not to take advantage of it very often, but when she was so flustered like she was now, all rosy cheeks and bright eyes and biting her lip in concentration, he just couldn't help himself.

She didn't respond at first, and Mamoru knew she was debating between being even angrier at him or simply kissing him back. So, he helped make the decision for her, gently pulling on her lower lip, a move he knew all too well would cause her to melt against him.

And she did just that, standing up on her tiptoes and using his arms for balance as she returned his kiss fully and with an enthusiasm that caused a not at all unpleasant tingle at the base of his spine.

He gently eased off, moving from heated kisses to a simple, repeated brushing of his lips against hers, and when he peeked an eye open, he was pleased to see the moonlight around him had brightened considerably.

Smiling, he mumbled against her mouth, "You're happy, again."

She pulled back from him, a quizzical look on her face, as she reached up to brush a wayward strand of hair from his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

Mamoru nodded his head upwards towards the moon, while he continued to smile at her. "It's brighter now."

The confused look she gave him only grew deeper. "What are you talking about, Mamo-chan?"

"The moon, Usako."

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "What about it?"

He blinked for a moment in surprise, before rolling his eyes affectionately. Figures his adorable, all powerful, but incredibly clueless girlfriend would have no idea the strength of the moonlight was tied to her emotions.

Mamoru grabbed ahold of her shoulders gently, turning her around so that her back was to his chest. He snaked his arms around her, and said low in her ear, "I can always tell what you're feeling because of the moonlight. If it's weak and dim, like it was before, I know something is wrong. But if it's strong and bright, as it is now, I know you're perfectly content and happy. The moon is very much linked with you, princess. Didn't you know?"

She sucked in a breath. "How...w-when did you notice this?"

He smiled, removing his arms from around her, and stepping a few feet away, and enjoying the cute way her nose crinkled up at the loss of contact before answering, "A few months ago, when you were screeching at the last girl who got too close to me."

" _Mamo-chan_!"

 _oOo_

 _AN: The moonlight being tied to Usagi's moods is taken from Luna-V Chan's fic, Destiny Decision, which has been a favorite of mine for a long time. You should definitely check it out!_


	21. Mask

_AN: My forever thanks to the best beta and friend a girl could ask for, FloraOne. None of this would be possible without you, and you have no idea how grateful I am to have you! Also, she has a new story out, which you NEED TO READ, and review, because I have a little bet going with her about if her first chapter gets 40 reviews, so make that happen for me, k? ;)_

 _Thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter, you all keep me going, and I promise it won't be 3 months between updates next time 333_

 _Enjoy, and let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

"So, I was thinking maybe we could spend Saturday together, if you were free?" Mamoru suggested from his place at the coffee table, never really looking up from the book he was studying.

Usagi stretched and yawned lazily on the couch, having been roused from her dozing by his voice. "Mmm, I wish I could, Mamo-chan," she said with her usual pout. "But the girls and I were planning on spending the day in Odaiba."

He did his best to hide his disappointment in the tone of his voice. "I see. Well, maybe Sunday then."

"You could come with us, you know," Usagi suggested hopefully, her eyes lighting up with her idea.

Mamoru let out a nervous laugh. Odaiba with the girls. Crowded, noisy Odaiba with an equally noisy gaggle of teenage girls?

"That's alright, Usa," he said with a comforting smile. "You all go and have fun."

He turned back to his book, assuming the matter was closed. Of course, he often forgot what a dangerous thing assuming could be.

"Why do you never want to spend time with the girls and me?" Usagi asked after a long silence. She sat up as she spoke, her posture almost rigid.

Mamoru sighed, snapping his book shut. Taking off his reading glasses, he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Usako, it's not that I don't want to spend time with you. You know that."

Usagi huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Coulda fooled me."

"I just asked you to spend Saturday with me!" he countered more harshly than he'd intended. He tried to backtrack when he saw how hurt her expression was. "I just want you to have some quality time with your friends, that's all."

"You know I see them every day, right?" she said after a brief pause, and he couldn't help noticing the frustration in her voice.

"Seeing and spending quality time aren't the same thing. It's healthy for you to be around people your own age," he supplied, cringing internally at how condescending it had sounded.

"God, you sound like my dad," Usagi said, clearly annoyed.

Mamoru flinched visibly. _Of all the comparisons…_

"Considering how much you love your father, I'll take that as a compliment." He couldn't help that he had a smart mouth sometimes.

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't."

This was going nowhere quickly.

"Usako, listen-"

"People my own age? I mean it's not like you're exactly ancient, you know! Although your reading habits say otherwise," she interrupted.

"Gee, thanks-"

"Are you embarrassed by me?" she blurted out suddenly, her voice rising in pitch, and the telltale tears began to well up in her eyes.

Mamoru through his hands out in front of him, as if he could stop her words from reaching him with the gesture. "No, of course not!"

"Then why won't you spend time with all of us? It's not like they're strangers to you or something!"

He found himself running a hand through his hair, a gesture Usagi had pointed out numerous times before that he did anytime he was nervous or uncomfortable. Mamoru quickly withdrew his hand, and Usagi raised her brow at him.

"I told you, Usa. I just want you to have the time with your friends, that's all," he told her, exasperation seeping in like it hadn't since they used to bicker and name call on the streets.

"Bullshit," Usagi threw back, standing up with her hands on her hips in defiance.

"Excuse me?" he asked jumping to his feet, taken aback by her strong language. Not that he wasn't used to the occasional curse coming from her mouth. Normally he found it to be rather cute! Until it was directed at him.

"Bull. Shit." she repeated, emphasizing each word with a poke to his chest.

It took everything in him not to roll his eyes. "I'm well aware of what you said. I'm just wondering if you could clarify for me what exactly you're 'bullshit'-ing," he used the finger quotations that Minako always found so annoying.

"You bow out of stuff all the time, Mamo-chan," she said, hands still firmly placed on her hips.

He reached back and scratched the back of his neck. "Not _all_ the time…"

"Oh, really?" Usagi replied, taking a step closer to him, and glaring up at him.

Mamoru's mouth opened to respond, but only a strange choking sound emerged at Usagi's withering gaze.

"Should we count the times in the past month you've chosen to not come around when other people are involved?"

He took an involuntary step back, feeling the need to put some distance between them. "I don't think that's really necess-"

"Let's see! You wouldn't go on a double date with Motoki and Reika because you claimed they needed time together since she returned from Africa," she held up one finger, and then another as the list kept going. "You've avoided coming to dinner at my house, because you claim you don't want to intrude, even though I've told you over and over that you're not. Anytime Minako pops up, you're gone as soon as you possibly can be, AND you wouldn't come with me to Naru's birthday party because, as you so kindly put it, 'she's not my friend, Usako. Why would I go?'"

Mamoru couldn't help the indignant anger that was beginning to rise in him as Usagi continued to count just how horrible of a boyfriend he was off on her fingers. He knew he'd never been very good for her. Worlds had ended because he loved her. But to be reminded of just how unworthy he was of her by a simple count of her fingers felt as if she were plunging an icy dagger into him. Perhaps worst of all, he'd been the one to hand her the blade.

"Are you finished?" he said quietly, looking down towards his feet, while his fists clenched at his side.

Usagi sighed, her frustration and anger seeming to fade from her, as she stepped towards him and took one of his large hands into hers. "Mamo-chan, I just want you to talk to me. Tell me why you avoid everyone."

Her eyes were so full of patience and understanding that he had to look away or he'd drown and spill everything to her. Everything about himself he wasn't sure he was ready to face. "Usa, I told you, I'm not avoiding anyone. I only want you to have the time with your friends. Now, please, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

To his surprise, Usagi didn't let go of his hand. She simply squeezed it and stood quietly with him while an untold number of seconds ticked by. He avoided her eyes as diligently as he held onto her hand.

Mamoru wasn't sure what exactly he had expected her to do. But the traitorous part of him, the part that always whispered that he was unworthy of her, wished she would run, flee the apartment, so he wouldn't have to face disappointing her anymore. But the larger part of him that yearned for her constantly, knew he would never be able to force her away.

Usagi wordlessly lifted his hand and kissed it tenderly, before placing it back by his side. She moved away from him towards the small alcove that held her bag and shoes. With a grace he didn't often see from her, she bent down picked up her bag in one fluid movement and slid her feet into her tiny ballet flats.

"I'll be here whenever you're ready to talk, Mamo-chan," she said kindly, and he nodded, unable to think of a coherent sentence without the risk of falling apart.

Usagi smiled at him one last time before she moved to the door. Her hand reached up to the knob, but she paused and spoke without turning around. "You know, it's funny. Even when we have no enemy to fight, your mask is just as firmly in place as it's ever been."

And then she was gone, leaving him in a state he was all too used to being. Alone.

 _AN: So, I wrote this drabble 2 months ago, but seeing as it's going to be kind of a two-parter, I waited until I had actually finished the second part to post this one. Look for the 'conclusion' in the next week or so 333_


	22. Protect

_AN: So, I know it's only been three days, but you all left me so many sweet reviews, I decided there was no need to wait a week to give you this not so stunning conclusion xD_

 _There will be more notes at the end, so for now, I'll just say, 'enjoy,' and let me know what you think!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru paced his living room anxiously, eyes fluttering to the door every few seconds.

He knew Usagi would be here soon. He'd asked her to come, after all, but he still wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say, what he _needed_ to say.

Having spent the last few days agonizing over what exactly was wrong with him, the answer, unfortunately being, a lot, Mamoru had never been so unsure of himself. And speaking as someone who was constantly unsure of themselves, this was saying a lot.

There was a knock on his door so soft he almost thought he'd imagined it, and when he slung the door open to reveal his usually boisterous girlfriend, he blinked in surprise.

Usagi smiled timidly at him. "Hi, Mamo-chan."

"Usako," he breathed out, simultaneously relieved and put on edge by her presence.

They stood looking at each for a few moments, before Usagi peeked around his body into the apartment. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, o-of course," he stumbled, moving out of the doorway so she could enter and remove her shoes in the narrow genkan.

Mamoru walked towards the couch in the living room, followed closely by Usagi, her newly slippered feet padding softly behind him.

She sat down next to him, a sweet smile on her face as she faced him, making herself comfortable among the many throw pillows she'd insisted he buy a few weeks back to make his apartment more colorful.

As if anything needed more color whenever she was around.

"Usako, I'm glad you came," he started hands clenched together in his lap.

"Of course, I came, Mamo-chan," she said, a patience in her voice that was beyond her years. "I told you I'd be here whenever you were ready."

Mamoru met her eyes, speech leaving him for a brief moment at the unconditional love reflected there. Love for him.

"I'm so sorry, Usa," he finally said, shame washing over him for how he'd handled this entire muddled situation, and he placed his head in his hands, rubbing them over his face in frustration.

Soft and delicate fingers pulled his hands away, as Usagi squeezed them in comfort, placing them in her lap. "You don't have anything to be sorry for," she said gently.

He let out a short laugh. "We both know that's not true."

But she didn't argue with him like he had imagined she would. "Tell me what's wrong, Mamo-chan. You don't have to protect yourself with me." she cajoled, entwining her fingers with his.

Mamoru sighed, knowing the urge to run and hide in his bedroom was a childish one, but a strong one he had to fight nonetheless.

"Usako, I've done a lot of thinking over the past few days," he said, unable to hide the weariness he felt at the thought of disclosing so much of himself. "And I've realized some things about myself that I'm not particularly proud of."

Looking down at their entwined hands, he waited for Usagi to respond, but when she remained silent, he looked back up at her, and found her eyes full of warmth and an encouraging smile on her face.

So, he went on.

"I really do want you to spend time with your friends. I think it's really important, and I thought I was only stepping away from being there with you because I just didn't want to get in the way."

Mamoru paused, anticipating Usagi would jump in to interject, but she made no moves to do so, only gently stroking her thumb along the back of his hand.

"But I…I think it's more than that," he said, swallowing thickly. "I really don't want to get in the way, but I think…well, I think I might be slightly…jealous of your relationships with the girls."

Usagi's brow furrowed adorably at his confession. "Jealous?" she asked softly.

He looked away from her, staring without really seeing out the large picture windows that overlooked Tokyo Tower and the district of Juban they both called home.

"It's…I'm…it's hard to explain," he said in frustration at himself, the situation and the fact that he was forced to face this behavior that one might expect from a small child, not a nearly grown man.

"Take your time, Mamo-chan."

Turning back towards her, he saw the earnest look in her eyes. He swallowed again, the lump in his throat feeling ever present, but Mamoru knew she deserved an explanation, at the very least.

He took in a deep breath.

"It's not that I'm jealous that you have friends, Usako. I love that you do. It's one of the things that drew me to you in the first place," he said. "But the bond you have with your senshi…" he shook his head in defeat. "They protect you. They love you as if you were their sister. They're _always_ there for you. I...I can't compete with that."

"Compete with it? But it's not a competition," Usagi said gently.

Mamoru let out a frustrated breath, extracting his hands from hers to run them through his hair. "I know it's not literally a competition, Usa, but I'll never live up to what you have with them.

Usagi moved closer to him, placing a warm, tiny hand on his knee. "Mamo-chan, you know what you mean to me, right? You know I love you so much, I'm seriously afraid my heart might burst from the intensity of it sometimes, don't you? And you've been protecting me since day one! You're the only one who's been here with me from the beginning. Your name _literally means_ protector!"

He looked up at her, pleading in his eyes. "But it's not the _same_ , Usako. You're everything to me. But I'm…I'm not to you."

There was a long stretch of silence between them, as they sat looking at each other, as if willing the other to understand what they weren't getting, Mamoru's haggard breathing the only sound in the room.

It was Usagi who broke the silence.

"You _are_ everything to me, Mamo-chan. I love you more than I have ever loved anything in my entire life. And we both know how much I love like…everything, so it's a lot, ok?" she said, reaching a hand up to touch his cheek with her thumb.

"But just because I love the girls so much, too, doesn't lessen what we have. At all! Love isn't a finite resource, and I know you're not used to that. Understandably so!

"Plus, I know you took on a lot of teenage baggage when you started to date me," she said, unable to keep the smile from her face, and he chuckled a little too despite himself. "The girls are a lot, and it probably wasn't fair of me to expect you to want to be around all of them all the time."

"Usa, I don't mind, really, it's just-"

"You're a hermit, and you enjoy your peace and quiet," she interrupted with a sheepish shrug, and he glared at her teasingly. "But you have to know how ridiculously important you are to me, Mamo-chan. You bring so much to my life. More than I could have ever asked for! Love and safety and protection and friendship and security and ice cream and cuddles and kisses and-"

She was interrupted by the quick press of his lips to hers, a feeling they had both missed more than they realized in their brief days apart.

"You were rambling, Odango Atama," Mamoru murmured against her lips a moment later, his telltale smirk finally curling the edges of his mouth once again.

Usagi smiled, pulling away slightly, placing both of her hands on either side of his face, holding his head firmly where it was. "I love you, Chiba Mamoru. So much."

Mamoru was unable to keep the slight blush from his staining his cheeks at her words, but he held her gaze, and responded resolutely. "I love you, too."

She beamed at him, reaching up to kiss his nose, before she snuggled back against the cushions of the couch. "So, we're good?"

He smiled at her lazily, leaning over her relaxed form in an effort to be closer to her. "Yeah. We're good."

"And you'll come hang out with all of us at things other than our weekly senshi meetings?" she asked hopefully.

Mamoru laughed a little nervously, before leaning down to kiss her neck. "Baby steps, Usa," he said against her skin.

Usagi gasped in delight at the feeling of his lips against her, her hands reaching up to comb through his silky hair.

"Maybe one of them at a time," he said when his lips reached her ear, and he nibbled lightly at her lobe.

He missed the wicked grin that crossed her face, then, too busy enjoying the taste of her and the smell of her perfume.

"One at a time, huh?" she asked, and when he hummed his acquiescence against her, Usagi went on, "You know, Mina was wanting to go shopping for a new bathing suit, said she needed a male's opinion. I'll let her know you'll be joining us."

Mamoru's lips stilled, and he growled out a warning. " _Usako!"_

The sound of her delighted giggles could be heard pealing through the night.

 _oOo_

 _AN: So, this set of chapters was difficult for me for a number of reasons, because many of the struggles Mamoru has, are mine as well. The deep-self doubt. The jealousy. The unworthiness. Everything an author writes is deeply personal, but when you start to delve into issues that are your own, it gets messy and difficult, but it's also really therapeutic in a lot of ways, humanizing these 'demons' that you carry around with you._

 _I owe my biggest thanks to FloraOne, for not only being the best beta I could ever ask for, but for also having the strength and patience to help me realize and deal with some of these issues. It's not something everyone could do, but you do it with such grace and love, and I appreciate you more than you'll ever know._

 _Anyway, sorry for the momentary dark turn there, but I really do hope you enjoyed this, and please let me know what you think!_


	23. 90s Fashion

_AN: my forever thanks to my darling beta, FloraOne for her Japanese shopping expertise and her ideas for this chapter. I would probably never write ANYTHING if it weren't for her (which might be a good thing? xD) and I'm so grateful to have her in my corner._

 _Thank you all so much for your reviews, and please let me know what you think! 3333_

 _oOo_

"Oh, my god, Mamo-chan, you _have_ to see this!" Usagi's excited voice echoed through the entirety of the small, vintage clothing store they were wandering around in Shimokitazawa.

Mamoru gave an apologetic shrug to the very hipsterish looking guy who was standing closest to him and giving an annoyed look towards the effervescent blonde.

He sauntered over to his girlfriend, peeking over her shoulder to see what it was that had gotten her so worked up.

And when he saw what she had, he wasn't disappointed.

She was holding, quite possibly, the most perfect shirt he'd ever seen. A bright green, long-sleeved masterpiece that had the word 'earth' embroidered in a nearly fluorescent yellow thread right underneath the breast pocket.

Earth! His planet! His _home_. The one place in all the galaxy that was he truly belonged to. And here was a shirt that he could actually own that (not so) subtly proclaimed that!

Sure, it was a little loud, color wise, but he spent a majority of his nights bounding around Tokyo in a white tie worthy tuxedo. He could live with being a little flamboyant during the day sometimes, too.

Mamoru finally let his eyes trail back up to meet Usagi's, who was practically beaming at him in pride over her find.

"Isn't it _perfect_?! And it's your size!" she shrieked, causing more customers to send a few glares their way, but this time, he couldn't bring himself to care.

"It is," he said softly, reaching out to feel the material in his fingers.

"You _have_ to get it," Usagi countered, looking around the shirt for its price tag.

He surprised himself, when he responded without hesitation. "Yes, I do."

Usagi paused her search, glancing up at him with somewhat startled eyes. "Really? Just like that? No pros and cons list?"

"What makes you think I need to make a list?" he asked, unable to keep the slight offense out of his voice.

"Please, Mamo-chan," she said, eyebrow raised at him, "you once made a pro and con list about the lead strength of what pencil to use on your physics mid-term."

Mamoru narrowed his eyes at her playfully, grabbing onto her hips and bringing her flesh against him. Her squeal of surprise turned into delighted giggles. Music to his ears. "Don't act like you know me, Odango Atama."

She laughed, again, leaning up to place the tenderest of kisses to his lips. "Come on, Endymion," she whispered where only he could hear, nodding up towards the checkout counter, "let's go secure the Earth for you."

 _oOo_

The next day, Mamoru walked proudly into the Crown Arcade, wearing his newly found treasure. The shirt was made for him, he was sure of it, and he was getting ready to spend the afternoon with Usagi curled into his side, while she ate ice cream and chattered away with her friends.

Nothing could possibly ruin his mood, today.

" _What in god's name are you wearing?!"_ a mocking voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

Minako. He forgot to factor in Minako. Such a rookie mistake.

He sighed, the beginnings of a headache suddenly began to pound between his temples, deciding right then and there, that he would never make another purchase again without his beloved pro and con lists, placing Aino Minako at the top of every single con column for the rest of his life.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Minako snorted. "Oh, dear, dear, Mamoru. Where to even begin?" she said, grabbing his arm, as she began to lead him towards the girls usual table.

"Hey, Usagi!" she called. "Have you seen what your boyfriend is wearing?! It's _hilarious!_ "


	24. Locket

_AN: Hello, dear readers! It's been TOO LONG since I updated this fic, and honestly, I was missing it. I had a dream about this chapter a couple of nights ago, and it actually didn't turn out too strange on paper, so hopefully you'll enjoy it 333_

 _A huge thank you to floraone, who took time out of her crazy busy (and it's not just like 'oh, she's so busy' but like DAMN SHE'S SO BUSY) schedule to beta for me, as she always does. I literally couldn't do this without you, love! Also to tinacentury for her encouragement to write down this weird dream I had and her ever present brainstorming offers. You are appreciated, friend 333_

 _And without further ado, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and your reviews are always, ALWAYS loved and appreciated!_

 _oOo_

Mamoru reached into his messenger bag, fumbling around for his wallet to pay for the coffee he'd just ordered. He'd normally always keep it in his back pocket, but these ridiculous skinny jeans Usagi had insisted he buy the last time they'd gone shopping made the bulk of his wallet as ridiculously uncomfortable as the jeans looked.

But instead of finding his wallet, his hand came into contact with a cool, metal object Mamoru was certain he hadn't placed in his bag. He pulled out the offending object, and when a golden, star-shaped locket emerged, his breath caught as he stared at it with a mix of confusion and awe.

How on earth had it wound up his bag? He hadn't seen it, nor thought about it since…

"Uh…sir?" the brown-haired barista asked with an obvious amount of trepidation. "It's still 675."

Mamoru blushed bright red. "Sorry," he murmured, while he resumed the digging in his bag.

He finally found his wallet and paid for the coffee, not meeting the barista's eyes when he took it from her, his mind wandering back to the locket that now resided at the top of his bag.

Perhaps Usagi had placed it in there for him. She was constantly leaving little notes for him everywhere, and he found them in his bag quite often. But why would she leave something like this for him? Was he supposed to glean some secret message from it?

As he left the shop, he was making a mental note to ask her about it the next time he saw her when he collided with an all too familiar warm body.

It was a delicate balancing act, for sure, catching Usagi and managing to not fall or spill his coffee, but after a year of practice, he'd gotten quite good at it.

He steadied her on her feet, her hands splayed across his chest, as their eyes locked and happy realization dawned in her eyes.

"We really need to stop meeting like this, Usako," he teased, leaning down to kiss her nose.

She adorably crinkled the appendage. "It wasn't my fault this time, Mamo-chan! You were the one not paying attention."

Mamoru shrugged, reluctantly removing his hands from her waist. "It _was_ your fault, you cloud my brain," he retorted, enjoying the dramatic huff she sent his direction.

But Usagi could never stay mad for long.

"Have time for a walk?" he asked, holding out his free hand, and smiling at how her entire demeanor changed instantly.

She nodded happily, grabbing his hand, and they soon found themselves strolling through the park, and inevitably settled on their usual bench.

He listened to her chatter on about her day, (Umino had apparently discovered a juicy piece of gossip about Haruna) eagerly watching her face light up with different expressions as he sipped his coffee, but eventually she did grow fairly quiet, snuggling up to him and asking about his day with bright eyes and a small voice.

"You know," he began, "the strangest thing happened to me just now while I was getting coffee."

Usagi perked up at his side, "What's that?"

Mamoru reached down into his bag, feeling around for the cool of the metal. "I found this in my bag. Any idea how it got there?"

He pulled out the locket, and Usagi let out an excited shriek.

"You found my locket!"

His brows drew down in confusion at her reaction. "You mean, you didn't put this in my bag?"

She shook her head fervently in the negative, her pigtails flying as she did so. "No! I've been looking for it for ages. It disappeared after…" she trailed off, and bit down on her lip, her eyes turning away from him.

"After we died?" he said quietly, and she nodded once sadly.

He couldn't help the slight turn of his lips, as she clutched his arm and buried her head in his shoulder. He was always grateful, too, for her closeness, but especially in moments like these when the burdens of their lives weighed on them so heavily.

"But that's so odd," he mused quietly after a while, running his thumb over the smooth surface of the locket.

Usagi reached out to touch it as well, the tiny lid responding to her touch, popping open while a familiar melody started to play softly.

"If you didn't put it in my bag, how did it get there?"

Usagi sat up slightly and shrugged, still not letting go of his arm. "Dunno. I probably cursed it when I had it made for you, so that it would haunt you forever."

He turned worried eyes towards her, her serious tone throwing him for a loop.

"Just in case you got any funny ideas about falling in love with someone else," she finished, the mischievous gleam he knew so well, shining up at him.

His responding laugh resonated deep in his chest, and he rolled his eyes at her affectionately. _As if there could ever_ _be_ anyone else _but her._

"It's just so odd," he said again, still completely perplexed by the presence of the locket in his hand.

"Really, Mamo-chan?" Usagi said, and his eyes flew to hers, confused this time, so she went on. "Of _all_ the things that have happened to us over the past year, this is what you find weird?"

Mamoru frowned in thought, opening his mouth to retort, but he closed it quickly, realizing he didn't really have a comeback to her statement.

"I mean, it's entirely possible the ghost of my mother put it there. Or it just decided it was tired of wandering through space and time, and wished really hard to be back with you," she said, leaning her head back down on his shoulder.

He couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "The locket is a sentient being, now?"

She shrugged. "I'm not going to pretend like I know what sentient means, but sure."

They sat in amiable silence for a few moments before Usagi spoke again. "Hey, Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get the locket to begin with?" she asked. "You know, before you gave it to me?"

"That," he said with a deep sigh, "is one of my earliest memories."

Usagi sat up, detaching herself from him fully as she turned to face him, eyes wide with piqued interest.

He focused on the locket in his hands, unable to meet her eyes, knowing how full of emotion they would be.

"I was allowed to go through my parent's house after they died, and I was released from the hospital. The social workers said I could take a few things that felt special to me, before it was all sold. Of course, nothing did, but I saw this locket on my mother's dresser, and it…" he broke off searching for just the right word, "...called to me I guess."

When he finally did glance up at her again, her eyes were filled to the brim with tears as he figured they would be, her lower lip trembling with the force of holding in her sadness.

"Usako, don't cry," he said softly, reaching out to brush her cheek. "I'm fine, really!"

But she would hear nothing of it, as she threw herself against him, her arms squeezing around him in one of her infamous bear hugs.

"I'm so sorry, Mamo-chan," she said against his chest, sniffling loudly. "You went through so much, and I wasn't there-"

"But Usa, you didn't even _know_ me then!" he countered, interrupting her.

She simply sighed in response, and shook her head against him.

"You were there for me when I needed you the most," he said, a firm but gentle reminder.

He pulled back from her embrace, and grabbed her hand, placing the locket in her palm. "Even when I didn't know you, yet, you were there."

A watery smile and a nod met his statement, and he couldn't resist pulling her back in for another hug. "Come here, you," he said, enjoying the feel of her in his arms almost as much as anything else in the world.

"So," he said when he settled her back in the crook of his arm a few moments later. "What are we going to do with this?" he pointed to the gold star in her hand.

Usagi held it out to him, with an expectant look on her face. "You keep it," she said, smiling brightly at him. "It was made for you, and I want you to have it."

Mamoru took it from her with a grateful smile. "And what exactly am I going to do with this, hmm?"

Her face lit up at his question. "Ooo! You could buy one of those fancy vests and wear it like a pocket watch!"

He groaned in response. "Yeah, that would look so great with my new jeans, I suppose?"

She nodded enthusiastically, and he groaned again, placing his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

Her delighted giggle brought him back to reality, and he shot her a withering look. "Are you not so subtly trying to tell me you don't like the way I dress?"

"Of course not, Mamo-chan!" she cried so loudly, any normal person would have flinched, but he was no normal person. "I love everything about you!"

"Uh huh," he said back to her with a wink. "Sure you do."

" _Mamo-chaaaaannnn,"_ she whined, playfully slapping his arm. " _Stooppp teasing meeeee!"_

He laughed outright at her antics, leaning down to kiss her before she could manage to disturb the entire park.

Of course, he was no closer to finding out just how the locket had ended up in his possession than when he started, or even how a gift he'd received a lifetime ago as the prince of Earth had somehow managed to make it into his personal effects in this life, but as her lips moved so enthusiastically against his, Mamoru realized there were much more important things he could focus his time and energy on.

 _AN: The bit about Mamoru finding the locket amongst his parent's belongings comes from FloraOne's amazing fic, Becoming. If you haven't read it, (or you're in need of some serious angsty amazing goodness) you should really check it out! Thank you for letting me steal from you so often, Flora! xD_


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